Poetic Justice
by Irishlass18
Summary: After an accident,Guy awakens with no memory;now in the home of a woman who claims to be his wife and with two boys who claim to be his children he wonders if this is reality and if so is it what he wants?Robin is confronted with a rival thief and must decide if he is friend or foe,not knowing that the rival is actually a woman and she is out for revenge.Both men must face odd fate
1. Falling From the Skies

_This takes place in Series 3 and I have taken the liberties of changing around a few things, which I'm sure you'll discover over time—this includes couple pairings as well as certain events. I do not own Robin Hood BBC nor do I own the characters within it. I only claim rights to my own original characters and this storyline. I hope you enjoy. Please give me critiques, I appreciate them. _

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Prologue: Nottingham Castle

He sat near the only unoccupied window gazing down at the courtyard below. The feast had been going on for nearly three days already and he was bored half to death. It was a celebration of the king's birthday and all the lords and ladies of England were ordered to celebrate. He found it mildly amusing that people had to be ordered to enjoy themselves, for the sake of their monarch.

As he continued to watch the empty courtyard he sighed. He at least had the "privilege" of being up here with the adults instead of being cooped up with the nursemaids elsewhere in the castle. He smirked. Robin and Isabella would both be down there suffering even more than him. At least he wasn't being hovered over. He glanced around the main hall at all the lords and ladies and sighed. Sitting here surrounded by these people, he felt just as stifled as if he'd been surrounded by immature children and hovering nursemaids.

"Why Guy," he looked up as Lord Malcolm Locksley approached him, "you seem out of sorts today. Is anything the matter?"

Guy clenched his fists. He did not like this man who appeared too friendly with his mother. He didn't know yet if his mother reciprocated the lord's interest, but surely she didn't though. Father had been gone for many years already but he still didn't feel that his father was dead. Perhaps it was childish of him but he still held onto that sliver of hope that perhaps his father was just captured or lost.

Lord Malcolm drew closer, reminding Guy that he had yet to reply. The only thing he could hold against Lord Malcolm was the way he looked at his mother and of course his impish son. Robin was arrogant and impetuous and one of these days his impulsive actions were going to bring hell down on their shoulders, Guy had that feeling. However, as he watched Lord Malcolm he knew better than to let his true feelings show and so merely shrugged casually and glanced around the room feigning interest in the goings-on.

"No, your lordship, I merely wanted to sit closer to the window for some fresh air."

Lord Locksley smiled as he too stepped closer, "That is a fine idea. It is a bit warm in here isn't it?"

Guy inwardly groaned as the older man stepped opposite him and leaned against the wall. That hadn't been an invitation. But no matter, he would leave soon anyway. His very bones were itching for movement. He still felt the pull of impulsive adventure even though he was a teenager, almost a man—at least in his eyes.

"Good heavens." Guy looked back to Lord Locksley and followed his gaze where it was directed into the courtyard below. "What on earth is going on?"

Guy looked closely and found himself smirking at the sight before him. If this wasn't proof to the older man that his son was truly an imp then he didn't know what would be. Robin stood beside two girls near a tree, gesturing madly about something.

"I wonder if the maids know that those two girls are loose without an escort."

Guy frowned. Of course the man would only notice the girls and not the fact that his son stood right beside them. Locksley turned and would've moved off but Guy stopped him.

"I'll take care of it my lord." He stood up straight and nodded to the older man. "No need to leave the festivities."

Lord Locksley smiled and nodded, "Thank you Guy."

Guy nodded before stiffly walking past. He would have to be careful when he admonished Robin, for fear that Locksley was watching from above. It seemed where Lord Locksley was involved his mother tended to take his side—maybe that was proof that she was softening towards the man. Guy shook his head, unwilling to think about such things.

Meanwhile in the courtyard, Robin was indeed impishly encouraging the girls to climb the "forbidden" tree. It had been called thus for some reason or another that had long been forgotten. It wasn't the name of the tree that so drove him. It was the delight at seeing these two girls struggle up the tree, risking getting caught. He loved the thrill of it.

"The view is great from up there! There's nothing like it anywhere else in the castle!" Robin enthused.

The elder of the girls glared at him. She was closer to Guy's age but still held a girlish air about her. "If it's so great then why aren't you climbing it?"

"Oh I climbed it earlier. Besides I just want to see if a girl can climb as well as me." He stuck his tongue out at the pair of girls, earning another glare from the older and a huff from the younger.

"You'll be choking on your arrogance soon enough." Without another word the younger hoisted up her skirts and took to the tree like a monkey, not caring when an audible ripping noise should've made her pause.

"Ashley you do realize that if we get caught we are going to be in a lot of trouble?"

The younger girl paused in her climbing long enough to look back down at her cousin. "Do you see anyone lurking about waiting to catch us? Come on Maggie where is that sense of adventure our family is famous for?"

Maggie rolled her eyes, "That sense of adventure runs in your side of the family not mine. My side is the more intellectual type." She corrected, looking from where her cousin was perched precariously on a tree branch back down to Robin and the surrounding area.

It was true that the keep was deserted of all life, save for a lazy dog. Most everyone was already in the main hall at the feast. According to her parents it was a very large gathering, and of course, being children, neither she nor her cousin had been invited to mingle with the adults. They had been in a room with at least a dozen other children; all watched over by nursemaids that, according to her rather ludicrous cousin, had a strange resemblance to pigs.

She'd been bored to tears herself, but being one of the older children in the group she'd felt the responsibility to keep from clawing the walls in frustration. However at Ashley's request, they left—she'd allowed her younger cousin to make the opportunity for escape she'd so been looking for. It was in their "daring" escape that they'd somehow "recruited" the likes of Robin, the impish boy currently haggling them. He was around Ashley's age, perhaps a year older, and just as impulsive. Maggie honestly didn't know why she'd allowed herself to be dragged into this but-

"Maggie will you stop gawking at that rather boring looking wall and get up here?" Maggie jerked at the sound of her cousin's voice and looked up from yes, a rather boring looking wall. "It is absolutely beautiful up here!"

Maggie sighed. Robin was grinning ear to ear, gesturing for her to join her cousin. He was probably getting perverse pleasure out of watching girls hoist up their skirts—he was young but she was sure he was at least aware of girls in "that" manner in a slight way. Finally resolved to not let her cousin outdo her, she hitched up her skirts and reached up for the lowest branch.

The going was slow and rather difficult, given that her shoes were not made for tree climbing and her skirts were rather cumbersome, however she was quite proud of herself once she sat or rather clung to the first branch. When she looked down she found that Robin had disappeared. Oh well, he was more of a nuisance anyway.

"Will you hurry up already?" Ashley glared down at her from her much higher perch. "The sun will be gone before you get up here at the rate you're going."

Maggie took a deep breath and slowly let it out before she carefully inched her way into a standing position. She was just reaching for the next branch when she lost her balance. In her attempt to right herself she overcorrected and let out a sharp yelp as she toppled off the branch. She felt herself falling and braced for the painful impact of the ground but was startled when a pair of arms wrapped around her and she landed on top of someone with a rather audible "oomph."

"Maggie!" Ashley yelled.

Maggie blinked as she lay there in a daze. It had all happened so suddenly that she wasn't quite sure what was happening now. She blinked a few times and was only aware enough to notice that she was being held against someone's chest. When she raised her head she found herself staring into a pair of beautiful green eyes. Then she was aware of being pushed off of whomever it was she'd fallen on and then helped up into a standing position. By this time Ashley was by her side brushing off her dress and thanking the figure that stood in front of her. Maggie blinked up at the tall boy and was struck by three things.

First, he was at least a few years older than her, second, he was handsome, of course his eyes had been lovely also, and third, he was glowering at her. He looked almost angry with her for falling on him, but if he were angry why would he have caught her in the first place?

"Maggie aren't you going to thank him?" Ashley nudged her rather sharply in the side.

Although Ashley was five years younger than Maggie she certainly made up for her junior status by being more vocal and assertive than Maggie could ever dream of being.

Maggie winced before giving a quick curtsy, "Thank you for catching me."

"You're lucky I caught Robin sneaking about and he told me about you two." The boy glared over his shoulder and Maggie peered past him to see Robin shifting sheepishly by the wall. "Girls need to remember their place. Their job is to always obey and keep out of sight unless called for." Maggie's mouth dropped open as she watched him turn and head back to Robin, whom he almost dragged along beside him by his tunic sleeve. "You should go back to your nursemaids where you belong."

Maggie continued to stare after him, open mouthed, for a moment while Ashley rolled up her sleeves and pursued the boys with a fight on her mind. Maggie quietly followed, still in a state of shock and confusion over the incident.

"Now just who do you think you are talking to us like that?" Ashley growled at the boy, having stepped in front of him to block his retreat.

Robin jerked his sleeve out of the boy's grasp, "He's Guy of Gisborn." Robin didn't sound too enthusiastic about the introduction and Maggie could understand why if the glare Guy was currently shooting Robin belied his regular temperament.

Ashley leveled her gaze on her new opponent and began, "Well Guy of Gisborn you should-"

"I do not have to answer to either of you," he glared at Ashley and Maggie then turned his gaze on Robin, "and most certainly not you."

Maggie cleared her throat, "Be that as it may," she winced when his glare turned on her but did not allow his scowl to intimidate her, "it wasn't very kind of you to say that. Before you go around insulting people perhaps you should wait to know who they are and what they are like." She stepped forward and boldly looked up at him, again noting the unique coloring of his eyes framed by his dark hair. "However, despite your surly nature I'm still grateful for your help." She gave another curtsy before looking over her shoulder at her still fuming cousin. "Let's go Ashley, before we end up in worse trouble."

She gave Guy another firm yet shy look before stepping around him and moving back towards where they should have stayed to begin with. She was horribly embarrassed, both by her fall and by what she felt was her obvious attraction for this Guy of Gisborn. She heard Ashley marching behind her, grumbling about rude and arrogant boys that would eat their words. Maggie quietly listened before she peered over her shoulder and blushed when she found his eyes following them. She quickly averted her gaze and tried to forget the incident. He may be arrogant and rude as her cousin so adamantly declared, but his eyes remained in her mind. She hoped to forget this moment and her embarrassment, but if her cousin continued to rant much longer, she feared ever forgetting anything ever again.

"Go back with them Robin." Guy spoke as he continued to watch the girls until they disappeared around a corner.

Robin shook his head, "You aren't the boss of me. I can do whatever I want."

"You're father saw you earlier and wasn't too pleased." Guy smirked at Robin's sudden panic. "So I suggest you return with those girls before he realizes just what you were doing out here."

Robin gulped before squaring his shoulders and brushing past Guy. Guy remained until he was sure Robin was at least heading in the right direction. As he headed back to the festivities he couldn't help but reflect upon the girl who'd quite literally fallen into his arms. She'd been pretty enough, not that he'd ever tell anyone, and even though she'd reacted with much more decorum than her companion he had sensed a firmness inside her that intrigued him. He glanced over his shoulder towards where they'd disappeared one more time before shrugging. If he saw her again he'd be sure to ask her name.

Little did he know that within months his parents would be dead, his rightful lands passed onto Robin, and he and his sister cast out into a cruel world. Any warm thoughts he'd entertained about anyone or anything were to be crushed as the realities of the world he lived in came up to shape him into the cold-blooded murderer the people of Nottingham would come to know him as.


	2. A Deserving Death

Many Years Later at Locksley Hall

He rushed up the stairs into his chambers. He threw open chests, tearing through them for the essential items. He knew he would only have a few hours before Prince John and his sister sent men after him. One didn't threaten Prince John without repercussions; he of all people knew that personally.

Guy filled his satchel with the items he needed most, taking a moment to look through the last of his chests to find anything of value that he might sell. When he came upon one of the gifts he'd tried to give to Marian he shut his eyes. He was usually quite good at fooling himself into thinking that his conscious was clear; however, when an image of HER face came unbidden, he sucked in a quick breath. He jerked his eyes open with a growl.

Why did she have to continue to torment him? Marion had betrayed him, used him horribly, and she'd gotten what she deserved in the end. However, that didn't stop the demons of his past from coming and haunting him. Every mistake, every murder, every scream that he'd caused, came back in full force to disturb him. He was in a living hell and now he had Robin to thank for it.

Guy growled as he remembered begging Robin to end his life. How pathetic was he to actually BEG his enemy to kill him? He slammed the chest shut and finished packing away his items. As he looked around the now destroyed room he reflected on the events of the past months. The appearance of his sister and her continued betrayals and manipulations, Prince John's maneuverings at Nottingham, the death of the Sheriff at his own hands, and now his own betrayal of the Prince out of anger. With his sister so close to Prince John he knew that his downfall was coming, especially now that Guy'd shown his true greedy nature that allowed him to turn on his own Prince when his position as Sheriff had been threatened.

Guy growled again. Why did he have to act so foolishly? If he had only allowed the Prince to vent his arrogant anger, if he'd only bided his time and followed his orders quietly then perhaps he wouldn't now have to worry about his sister and Prince John seeking his life. Guy's jaw tightened. If he didn't catch Robin Hood soon and present the outlaw to the Prince then everything he'd worked for would be lost and he would have nothing in the world except regrets that he tried to convince himself that he didn't actually have.

He heard the approach of a horse and stiffened. He peered out the window, wondering if his demise had come sooner than expected. Instead of a group of soldiers come to kill him, he found one of his men, one of the few still loyal, rushing towards the manor. Guy could only guess that the man either carried news about Prince John or Robin Hood. He quickly threw his satchel over his shoulder and rushed down the stairs.

"What is it?" he ground out.

"Robin Hood and his men have been surrounded in the village of Hockley.'"

Guy nodded grimly. This could be his chance to redeem himself to Prince John, "Tell my men to mount up, we ride out post haste."

The soldier nodded and quickly disappeared. Guy turned to the table laden with what would've been his meal. He grabbed a loaf of bread and downed the wine in his goblet before he left. He and his men rode hard out of the village, not bothering to look back before they disappeared down the forest road. He wouldn't be missed in any case. His servants hated him. The villagers hated him. He knew, in his heart, that they had every reason to hate him and that made his anger that much worse. He was tired of hatred, tired of anger, but he couldn't escape it. He had made his bed and now must lie in it.

They found Robin Hood and his men, but they also found Isabella's men. A fight ensued between his men, Isabella's men, and Robin Hood's men. In the chaos Robin Hood and his men managed to escape and so Isabella's men and his own ceased their fighting in order to chase after Hood. The group had split up and now Guy cantered his horse, despite the harsh ground, as he pursued one of Robin's men beside the flood-swollen river. He was almost upon the man, he could almost taste sweet victory, when something broadsided him, sending him flying off his horse and into the river.

He bobbed to the surface for a brief moment, struggling to see what had hit him. He only caught a glimpse of a lone figure hovering by the river's edge before he was pulled back under. Guy clawed at the water, fighting to reach the surface again, as his body was quickly swept away into the white rapids and dark water. Even though he knew he deserved death he certainly didn't want to die, at least not before exacting revenge on those who had ruined his life.

Suddenly his head crashed into a boulder and everything began to grow dark. He continued to struggle for air until an image of Marian's dying face came to him. He again saw the pain in her face as his sword sliced through her body. He stopped fighting then. He'd killed the only woman he'd ever loved. He deserved death. Guy opened his mouth and yelled, the last of his air escaping his lungs in large bubbles. The world grew dimmer and he knew death was coming. Maybe now he could find some peace.

By the River's Edge

She watched as his body sank beneath the surface, a smile of dark triumph on her face. Finally, she'd managed to exact some revenge on the man responsible for her family's past miseries.

"Did you get him? Can we get back to our mission now?"

She looked over her shoulder at one of her men as he approached. She shrugged and gestured over her shoulder, "Grab his horse; I'm sure we can use it." She turned and walked back into the forest.

"I'll take that as a yes you got him and yes we can get back to our real mission." The man mumbled as he collected the horse and pulled it after him.

After a moment she paused and looked back towards the river road. She signaled for her man to continue on as she crouched down and hid. Within moments the rider Guy had been chasing came back into view. He looked around, his eyes trailing over her position without pause, before he shrugged and trotted past, back towards where she knew his partners were. She didn't know who the man was, but she was pretty sure she knew who the group as a whole was associated with. The Sheriff's men and Guy wouldn't have been chasing after ordinary thugs.

"Robin Hood." She murmured under her breath, a sinister smile creeping across her lips.

He'd be a worthy opponent, had she the time to face him. He wasn't her primary mission though. Neither had Guy been either however the opportunity for revenge had presented itself and she'd seized it, like she normally did. She was sure her employer wouldn't mind, especially not now that Prince John was one man short.

"Psst." She glanced over her shoulder and found her man hovering there. "The others are waiting on the other side of the forest. We should get going before we're discovered."

She nodded. It would only be a matter of time before their presence was discovered if they didn't keep moving. That would not help her mission, not in the least. With one last look at the rushing river she sniffed before turning and hurrying after her man.

Outlaw's Camp

"What do you mean he disappeared?" Robin questioned Allan.

Allan shrugged, "I don't know. One minute he's almost got me and the next I turn around and there's no one there, not even his horse."

Robin frowned, bringing one his hands up to stroke his chin as he thought.

"Do you think Isabella's men got him?" Much stepped forward with his question. "After all Prince John did name her Sheriff now that Gisborn's betrayed them both."

"No," Allan shook his head, "I would've seen them take him."

"I don't like this." John growled, digging his staff into the dirt at his feet. "Something big is going on here."

Robin nodded, "I agree but we don't know where to start looking. For the time being we stick to the plan."

"What plan?" asked Much.

"We keep feeding the poor and fighting for England." Robin smiled.

The group nodded before readying themselves for another food drop. Robin stared off into the woods. He too felt that something large and sinister was about to happen but he couldn't put his finger on it. Tuck called his name, pulling him out of his thoughts. He smiled at his friend as he grabbed the bag of food and hurried after his men. They would merely have to be on their guard and hope to figure out what was happening long before it actually happened.


	3. It was poetic justice

Elsewhere By The Same River

Only poetic justice would bring the very man she loathed to her door. She kicked his foot with her own, stiffening as she waited for his reaction. When nothing happened Magdalene O'Connor glared down at the unconscious form of Sir Guy of Gisborn with a twisted smile of triumph on her rain-dampened face. Vengeful thoughts of torture and mayhem clouded her brain momentarily, causing her to forget time and place. All the painful memories, many directly caused by the man before her, came rushing back full force.

"We found him in the river." The voice of her little brother reminded her that she wasn't alone.

Magdalene looked over her shoulder at the eldest of her three little trouble-makers. Ben was taller than her but still a good seven years younger at eighteen, made obvious by the baby fat still in his cheeks and some blemishes marring his cheeks. He saw himself as the man of the house, though he still knew he had to take orders from Magdalene. Beside him stood Marcus, the quiet one; at thirteen, he had the demeanor of a sixty year old. The youngest, and biggest loud mouth of the bunch, was Timothy. Though he was ten, he talked loud enough, and as much, as any adult.

"Did you see anyone else around? Were there hoof prints on the river's edge?" She looked at Marcus and Tim as she spoke; wanting any of the three to pipe up if they knew something.

Marcus shook his head, "There was nothing except evidence of deer and boars. We were the first to even walk in the area."

Magdalene nodded, not at all surprised that there'd been no one else in the area. Their small farm was the most removed from Nottingham and very few actually knew of their existence out here. They paid their taxes and minded their own business so they were rarely if ever bothered by the outside world. They ran a self-sufficient farm and almost never had to buy outside resources.

"I said we should just leave 'im there to drown but Ben said we ought to bring 'im to you first." Tim whined as he poked Guy with a stick, "So what do yo' think? Can we take 'im back and let 'im drown?" He practically pleaded with baby eyes and a quivering lip.

Magdalene shook her head at her youngest brother's blood lust. She supposed she couldn't blame him; she too wanted a little retribution from the man who'd caused them such trouble. He was, after all, the reason they were living in such poverty so far away from society. At one point in time their family had owned a good amount of land, enjoyed a good living, and were considered fairly well off. This was in the early years before the Gisborn's had come in and stolen it away.

Yes, it had been Guy's father who had initiated the problems when he'd taken some of their lands before scurrying off on the Crusades, leaving the situation open to the hands of a corrupt bailiff who stole the rest of their lands away only after murdering their father. Then it had been Guy, after his own return years later, who had refused repayment on the lands when Magdalene's mother had asked him to return the deed and some of the money that was rightfully theirs. He had condemned them to further poverty instead of showing them mercy.

"I think letting him drown would be too good for the likes of him," Marcus noted softly, "He's caused us so much pain I think that the best course of action would be to devise a plan of vengeance against him." He looked up at Magdalene with a smile in his eyes but not on his lips, "He is, after all, at our mercy now."

Tim clapped his hands and jumped up and down in glee. Ben nodded in agreement, folding his arms and stroking his chin. Magdalene hid her smile. Their father had done a similar gesture when in deep thought; however he'd had a beard to stroke where Ben had nothing but soft skin. The fact that her brothers were so excited about vengeance did give her pause. Was she right in allowing them to feel such burning hatred for this man? However, as she continued to stare down at the man, the unhealed memories assaulted her until the idea of vengeance seemed downright desirable despite the fact that she knew it was very un-Christian like.

"I think you have something there, Marcus." Magdalene nodded as she looked back down at the still unconscious form below her. "However, we have to be careful. We don't know if anyone knows where he is. We also don't know if anyone is looking for him yet, which they will be soon, if they aren't already. We also don't know if he'll wake up. If he dies we will have to hide his body. If we get caught with the body then we'd all hang. If-"

Ben sighed, "Maggie we know, we know, if if if. But you know that we'd all hang just for having him here like this." Ben murmured in frustration. "Just for seeing him like this we'd be punished."

Magdalene nodded and sighed. It was true that with the past Sheriff it didn't matter if you were innocent or not. They knew that first hand, as Gisborn had used his influence with the Sheriff to keep the deed from their mother all those years ago. With the present state of things, with Prince John in the area and the status of Sheriff still uncertain since the last one's death, they would still more than likely die and the sacrifice of their mother would have been for nothing.

Magdalene frowned at the memory of her mother. She'd died the winter after Gisborn refused their plea. That had been an especially cold winter and she'd caught a fever. They hadn't been able to get help in time and she'd died. Despite that she'd said she'd lived a good life and could die in peace. Magdalene had had a hard time living in "peace" ever since. As the eldest she had the responsibility to teach her brothers everything she knew, and hope that they evolved beyond her own limitations.

Magdalene looked over at Ben for a moment. He'd taught her how to hunt and she'd taught him how to mend. He'd taught her how to fish and she'd taught him how to cook. Together they'd raised Marcus and Tim. Thankfully before they'd been ejected from their home, both Magdalene and Ben had been taught how to read and Magdalene knew how to write. They had taught Tim and Marcus what they knew, though they had limited resources to help them.

However, their literary education had little use out here in the wilds. They relied more on each other and their hunting and farming than they did on their reading and writing. Though it did come in handy whenever they ventured into town, a well-forged note granted them access to more supplies.

"Maybe we should tie 'im up and keep 'im in the shed with the animals." Tim grinned, "Then we could feed 'im the same food as the animals and treat 'im like an animal and maybe 'e'd feel bad by the time we were finished with 'im."

Magdalene shook her head, "The likelihood that that would work is very little." She sighed and looked up at the cloudy sky, "Whatever we decide we should probably take him inside since it looks like another storm is coming."

Ben and Marcus immediately bent down and hefted Gisborn up between them, stumbling around with his weight. They had to take a few breaks between the river and their farm; Gisborn was not a lightweight after all. Magdalene held the door open to their house then closed it after Tim. She instructed them to drop him on her bed as it was the only one in its own room. It had once been their mother's but now that Magdalene was the "head" of the household it was hers. Tim got some rope and quickly tied Gisborn's hands and feet to the bedposts, a sadistic smile on his young face. Magdalene supposed she should talk to her brothers about the dangers of finding pleasure in other people's pain, but now wasn't the time or place.

"We should get him out of those wet clothes," her brothers looked at her as if she had two heads and she laughed, "He might get even sicker and we don't want our prisoner to die on us before we even start our torture."

Tim eagerly nodded and rushed from the room to get some of Ben's clothes. The leggings would be short but the tunic should fit him just fine. Ben and Marcus untied Gisborn's arms and carefully rid him of his clothing. Magdalene took the time to retrieve his daggers and quickly hid them in the bottom of her trunk. She left the room to start some water boiling for tea, not exactly wanting to see her enemy naked.

Once she returned with a steaming mug, Gisborn was redressed, and retied. Magdalene shook her head at Tim but smiled at the same time. Marcus took the mug from her hands and set it on the table beside the bed. Then together they stood at the foot of the bed, staring at the sleeping form of their prisoner, still at odds as to what to do.

"Maybe we should wait until he wakes up to decide what to do." Ben suggested. "That way we'll know exactly what we're dealing with. He could be sick already, he could actually be on the run from Prince John, though that's unlikely, or he could have no recollection of what happened."

The other three nodded as they continued to stare. That was the best plan of action.

Magdalene shrugged, "Ben, you and Marcus go get the cows and put them in the shed. Tim, make sure the chickens are all in the pen. I'll start supper and keep an eye on him while you are gone."

The boys nodded and trudged from the room, not at all excited about their daily chores. Magdalene shook her head as she moved from her room back into the main room. It was a dining room, kitchen, bedroom for the boys, and work area. The house was larger than most peasant houses, and her room had been an add-on. The only other building on their property was the shed that housed the two cows and the horse, with the chicken pen and its coop right beside it. Their furnishings were sparse but it contained what they needed. Of course there was an extra chair since their mother died, but now with Sir Guy, she figured it'd come in handy.

Magdalene went about her business readying the food. It didn't take her very long, since she'd been in the middle of her work when the boys had come yelling into the yard. Magdalene shook her head when she realized they hadn't remembered to bring up the pails from the river. She brushed her hands against her apron and went back into her room to get her cloak to protect herself from the pouring rain.

She was on her way out the door when a moan from the sleeping man stopped her in her tracks. Magdalene turned and carefully moved closer. Gisborn moved his head to the side, Magdalene tensing in response. His breathing rate had increased and he moaned once more, his legs jerking and his hands flexing against their binds. Magdalene moved closer, despite her better judgment, and bent her head down close to his until she felt the warmth of his breath against her face. She watched his face, looking for signs of alertness, then sighed and shook her head. She was about to move away when his eyes suddenly opened and Magdalene stared back into a pair of equally intense green eyes. She was struck with a memory of their first meeting but she quickly tucked it away. She couldn't have more innocent memories confusing her from her current plight.

She didn't move, for fear of startling her prisoner, and for fear of breaking the moment. It had been years since she'd seen Gisborn's eyes this close. In fact, the last time she'd even seen him she'd been a girl of eighteen and he a man of at least twenty-four or twenty-five and had been too frightened to even look at his face. That was when he'd refused their mother. Now, with him so close, she could see the flecks of gold and blue in his eyes, and could count the number of freckles on his nose—six.

"Who are you?"

She gulped. Now was the beginning of a new chapter in her life in which she would sink to the level of grand deceiver. She supposed she should weigh out the consequences of such an action. However, at the moment, she was still struck dumb staring at him.

"Who are you?" He asked again when she continued to blink at him in silence.

Well…here went nothing.


	4. The Cover Story

Gisborn's voice was rough and Magdalene, still not able to form words yet, reached for the warm mug. He gratefully drank the liquid and then leaned back with a contented sigh. She slowly put the mug back, keeping her eyes averted from his. Magdalene still didn't answer and instead let Gisborn get more accustomed to his surroundings.

"Where am I?" Magdalene busied herself with fluffing his pillow and tucking the covers tighter around his body, she figured he'd start cursing her to high heaven and demanding release at any moment now and was actually surprised he'd been so calm thus far.

"Actually," his voice had a panicked edge to it and Magdalene finally looked up, "who am I?"

Magdalene gasped and put her hand over her mouth, her eyes widening. Was he in jest? Was her luck that good...or that bad?

"What do you mean?" She finally spoke and Gisborn tilted his head towards her. "Do you not remember who you are or where you come from?"

Gisborn frowned and closed his eyes for a few moments, moaning with frustration when he finally opened them again. He shook his head with a heavy sigh.

"I see shadows of images and hear random voices but I can't put anything together." He looked desperate now and would've reached for her if it weren't for his bound wrists, "Please, who am I?"

Magdalene opened and closed her mouth then straightened again. She heard the boys come back in and watched Gisborn try his best to look past her into the common room. She frowned and tipped her head to the side in thought. What was she to do? How was she supposed to take vengeance on a man who didn't remember he was actually an ass from hell?

Magdalene ducked her head and sighed, "Let me get you some soup and we'll talk some more."

She started to move from the room but Gisborn stopped her again, "Wait. Why am I tied?"

Magdalene turned with a wry smile on her lips, "You had a fever and were thrashing around so much we were afraid you would hurt yourself."

Gisborn nodded but said nothing more. Magdalene nodded in turn and quickly moved from the room, shutting the door behind her. She moved to the table where her brothers were already setting up their meal. She informed them of the change in Gisborn and together they sat down and mulled over the options of attack.

"You know," Marcus was the first to speak up after a few minutes of contemplative silence, "We could convince him that he's someone he's really not and treat him like that. That way he starts to believe he's that person and will act like that person, thus he might have a shift in behavior and personality and in the end he'll become a completely different person."

Tim looked confused, Ben immediately nodded in agreement, and Magdalene was already coming up with a cover story. She looked at her brothers. They all had dark brown hair and bluish green eyes, favoring their mother. They were all tall for their ages, and all looked to have the makings of being broad and muscular once they filled out in maturity. She favored their father with brunette hair and green eyes. She was tall, yes, but lanky instead of wide like her mother and brothers. If critically looked upon someone could be convinced that her brothers were her children, at least Marcus and Tim could. Ben would have to remain a brother, or perhaps a cousin.

Her idea began to take shape and the more it bloomed the more her smile broadened. By the time it was finalized and she was ready to discuss it, she was grinning like a madwoman and even Tim was eying her with caution.

"Marcus and Tim are my children, Ben you are still my brother, and Gisborn is my husband." She watched her brother's mouths drop open in shock. "That's more of a logical explanation than saying he's our brother because then he'll wonder why I'm not married, where our parents our, who they were, why he's isn't married, and so on and so forth. We can't say he's our father because I'm too old to be his child, and while Ben may be young enough to be his son Gisborn would've had to have been rather young to have him as well. And he'd wonder where his wife was then as well. If I'm his wife that part of his wonderings will be silenced and he'll just wonder about his personality and his history with us."

Ben scowled, already not happy with the situation. Magdalene knew he was thinking about the sleeping arrangements, but she already had that part covered. Marcus had his eyebrows scrunched down in thought and Tim was bouncing up and down with excitement over the thought of being the annoying "son" of Gisborn. Magdalene was sure he was already conjuring up schemes of mayhem for Gisborn to suffer through.

"That should work actually," Marcus smiled in agreement, "We teach him how to be a father, you teach him how to be a husband, and together we teach him how to be human." He shrugged, "It would be the most Christian thing to do after all."

Tim groaned, "Yah it would be, but we could also use 'im for hard labor. With all the projects that need extra help with, or stuff we don't want to do, we can have 'im do it." He clapped his hands in glee, already adoring his new "father" merely for the benefits he himself would reap.

Ben didn't nod or shake his head, merely sitting there staring at his plate in thought. The four of them had a policy that nothing was put into action unless they all agreed or disagreed upon it. Now, her idea was hanging on Ben's assent or dissent. She watched the emotions play across his face and stood when her impatience got to her. She busied herself with getting a bowl of mush for Gisborn.

"What are we going to call him?" Ben finally spoke and Magdalene had to keep herself from grinning like an idiot now that she knew she had his approval.

Tim and Marcus argued over his name while Magdalene worked at coming up with a good back story. In the end they decided to call him Gavin, or father for the "sons." They would all keep their original names, except Marcus and Tim promised to call Magdalene mother. Tim snickered at it the first few times he said it but overall it was a smooth transition. Once they were all in agreement, and Magdalene had explained the back story in detail to them, they all returned to Gisborn's side.

"Sorry it took so long dear," Magdalene noticed Gisborn's face scrunch up in confusion at her endearment as she came back into the room, "I had to tell the boys that you didn't remember much."

Gisborn nodded, though he still looked greatly confused, "That's fine. May I be untied now? I don't think I have a fever anymore."

Tim rushed forward and started to untie him, "I was the one who tied the knots, father, just like you taught me."

Gisborn's eyes widened and he looked close to fainting in shock for a few seconds. He drew away from Tim's touch and rubbed his wrists once he was free. Marcus stepped forward next, holding his plate.

"Here's your supper father." Marcus smiled sweetly as he handed the bowl to the highly confused and almost frightened looking Gisborn.

Gisborn accepted it, and the spoon from Magdalene, but didn't eat. He simply sat there and stared at all of them, probably in hopes of recognizing any one of them. He turned to Magdalene with fear in his eyes. Even though he was her enemy and he'd caused her so much pain, the confusion and fear in his eyes tugged at her heart strings and she took pity on him.

"Boys," she smiled at her brothers now her 'sons,' "why don't you leave me and your father alone for a few minutes. I think he's going to need some time to get used to this."

Ben frowned at the thought of leaving her alone with a loose Gisborn but he escorted Marcus and Tim outside without a word. Magdalene waited until the door closed before she faced Gisborn again. She looked around the room then decided it would be perfectly fine to sit on the bed with him since he was of course her "husband" now.

"Are you really my wife?" He questioned, his face still turned forward, his bowl of soup still untouched.

"Yes, I am." She supposed she would have to go to confession more often now, especially since lying seemed to be coming easier now.

"And those boys are really my sons?"

Magdalene nodded, "Marcus and Tim. Ben is my brother; he also lives here for the time being."

Gisborn set the soup on the table by the bed and rake a hand through his hair, "Why don't I remember anything?"

"You and Ben were out at the river trying to clear some of the debris out so we could keep it from flooding up to our level like it has in the past when the horse spooked and you fell and hit your head on one of the logs in the river. You were carried downstream some ways before the boys were able to get you out, but by that time you were unconscious."

He sat very still before he clutched at his head, in obvious pain. Magdalene again took pity on him and so she stood up and helped him to lie back down. As she was pulling the sheets up around his body he reached out and took hold of her wrist.

"Who am I though? Beyond your husband and their father?"

She took a deep breath before sitting down beside him, "You are Gavin O'Connor. You are a farmer and hunter and from what you told me at one point in time you were also a soldier," Gisborn raised his eyebrows but said nothing, "Though you never told me much about those days."

She fell silent and watched the emotions play across his face. He tilted his head to the side, "Who are my parents? Where is my family?"

"You never knew them actually, you told me you were raised by an obscure uncle whom you ran away from and joined the army at the first available moment. You also told me that you didn't have any living brothers or sisters and didn't know if your uncle was still alive or not." Magdalene hurriedly added, "You never told me his name either. You always told me the past wasn't as important as the future and that has always been perfectly fine with me as long as your past doesn't harm our future."

Gisborn nodded and fell silent again. His confusion and disbelief were still apparent, but some of his abject fear had receded. Magdalene couldn't help but feel a little guilty over taking advantage of his unfortunate situation—her mother had raised them all to be good Christians after all. However, as she'd kept the memories of her mother's death alive in her heart, she found the motivation to keep up the facade.

"So if you're telling the truth," Magdalene wasn't surprised that even now he was still doubtful, "that means you are my wife Magdalene, those two younger boys are my sons, and the older one is my brother-in-law." Magdalene nodded and Gisborn sighed.

He still didn't look convinced. Magdalene figured it'd probably take some days before he started to believe them. In that time they would all have to be on their toes. Magdalene watched Gisborn beneath her eyelashes. He was still handsome, though she was loathed to admit it, in a dark somewhat tortured sort of way. She was sure living his life, having done the things he'd done, his mind had been plagued often. That was probably why he looked so haggard around the eyes, why even now that his mind was blank of his memories they still looked haunted.

"You should eat." She helped him sit up again. "You need to regain your strength. Maybe that will help you remember more."

He slowly started to eat, though it was obvious he wasn't thinking about his movements. Magdalene stood and went into the other room to get a stick of wood to light the candles. The boys were already settling in for the night. Ben eyed her, waiting for any sort of signal from her to go in and get Gisborn. She smiled at him, patting his shoulder, before moving back into her room and slowly shutting the door.

Magdalene glanced over at the still eating Gisborn before she moved to her trunk and pulled out her night shift. She moved to the darker edges of the room and quickly undressed. She wasn't a blushing virgin anymore, at least not with this story that she'd created with him. She was the mother of two sons and so she would have to keep that in mind should Gisborn ever attempt to show "innocent" affection towards her or attempt to undress in front of her.

Having to raise her brothers kept her from being shy with her nudity or with matters of the anatomical differences between men and women—she could still remember that awkward yet amusing conversation with Tim. She knew that seeing Gisborn naked would be significantly different than seeing her brothers naked, however she hoped she could still manage to keep up her façade should that moment every arise. Once undressed and in her shift, she quickly drew her nightdress over her shoulders.

When she moved back into the light she had her hair unbound and around her shoulders, her feet bare, and her body clothed in a simple white nightdress. She subtly watched Gisborn's reaction to her appearance and wasn't disappointed—though she did wonder why his approval had even been on her mind. He seemed to appreciate the sight of her, though he made no move to touch her or openly look at her. He still seemed too preoccupied with confusion to do much.

He had finished his food by now and had actually moved closer to the wall so she could settle in on the edge of the bed. Again, Magdalene wasn't unaccustomed to sleeping with men. Sometimes, even now, Tim came in and slept with her whenever he had a nightmare. It was because of this that she didn't blush when she crawled into bed beside him, though she kept as much distance as she could.

They lay there in silence for a few moments before Gisborn finally spoke, "I'm sorry if you expect me to be warm towards you," he almost looked like he was blushing, "I just don't remember any of this," he swept his arm around to encompass the room and in reference to her brothers and herself, "and I can't...well you know."

Magdalene inwardly sighed in relief. She'd heard the many rumors of Gisborn's female exploitations and had been mildly afraid of his possibly wanting to be with her. She had worked out a story of them not having been on good terms before he'd gotten hurt and was going to use that to keep him at bay. But it seemed his own confusion was good enough. She hid her smile and placidly nodded her understanding to Gisborn.

"Well, in that case. I'll be saying goodnight." Magdalene turned over and blew out the candle, leaving the room in darkness.

She felt Gisborn settle in beside her before she heard him mumble the same to her. She was smiling to herself as she finally drifted off to sleep. This was going to work out perfectly.


	5. Troubles Brewing Abroad and at Home

Nottingham Castle

"What do you mean he's gone?" Isabella growled at her second-in-command.

The man shifted uncomfortably, "We found his horse's tracks leading along the river road. It looked like there had been some sort of struggle but there was no sign of him or his horse."

Isabella paced before her seat in the main hall. Prince John had the day before, leaving her in charge as Sheriff. Victory over her brother was sweet, but until he was completely at her mercy she would not find peace. She could only assume that Robin had captured him. Both her enemies would be together then, ripe for the taking.

"Search the forest, double the guards at all the toll gates, and inform the surrounding villages to be on the look out for either Gisborn or Hood."

Her commander nodded before quickly departing. As she sat back down in her chair she pulled out the message she'd received earlier that day. She smirked again as she read it. Soon, oh so soon, she would be rid of Robin Hood and her brother and she would finally be able to have the power she so deserved.

Speyer, Germany

He sat near the window, staring out at the surrounding territory. His room was sparse, though he had been told that he had all the necessities for survival. Apparently these fools didn't understand that he NEEDED the comforts he was used to in order to retain his sanity.

Growling he turned away from the window and looked down at the letter in his hands. His mother was still working for his release, or so she said. How long had it been now? Months? Years? How long would it take before he was released? He did not deserve to sit here, rotting in this forsaken country. He was a king after all.

"Dinner is served." The guard sneered at him as he brought the food laden platter into the room and quite literally tossed it onto the table near him.

King Richard the First glared from the platter up to the guard, relishing the thought of the day he could exact revenge on these men for their treasonous acts.

"Why thank you." He ground out. "Now get out of my sight." He turned his head back towards the window, not even blinking when he heard the guard curse at him in German before retreating from the room.

He crumpled the letter in his hands. His mother had better work quickly or else he would most certainly either go mad or die as he sought the destruction of his captors.

Sherwood Forest Homestead

Gavin O'Connor lay beside his sleeping wife, his eyes wide open. The knowledge Magdalene had given him was still running through his mind and he sought to find truth in her words. It all made sense, it was all logical, however he couldn't remember enough to know if it was true or not. He couldn't remember what he looked like; he couldn't remember his name, his family, anything. Thus, he didn't know if anything was true or untrue, and he seriously didn't like that.

He suddenly shifted and carefully climbed over the sleeping form of his wife. He was too restless to sleep. As quietly as possible he prowled the room, investigating every crook and cranny, hoping that something might spark a memory. When nothing did he sighed and sat heavily on the trunk opposite the bed. He raked a hand through his hair then glanced beside him. There was a small looking glass lying there, almost as if it'd been waiting for him to find. In the scarce moonlight, Gavin studied his facial features, running his fingers over his face and down his chest, mapping out faint scars, trying in vain to remember their origins.

Magdalene turned over and Gavin looked up at her sleeping face glowing at him in the moonlight. He couldn't deny that the woman was attractive; he'd been surprised at the immediate attraction he'd felt towards her when he'd seen her in her nightdress. There was something familiar about her face that could possibly speak of the truth of her words. He also couldn't deny the fact that she did resemble not only his supposed sons but also her supposed brother. She'd spoken clearly and without hesitation. Her behavior hadn't been meek or fearful. So, it was a good possibility that she was telling the truth.

Gavin sighed. There was no use in his continued prowling. He set the glass aside and carefully climbed back into bed, shifting around to get more comfortable until he lay on his side with his back to his wife. His movements disturbed Magdalene and she rolled closer, her arm winding its way around his waist, her chest pushing up against his back seeking warmth. He tensed when he felt her legs entwined themselves with his own and he couldn't help but shift a little when she snuggled her face in the back of his neck. He sighed once she resettled into her sleeping rhythm.

He already knew it was going to be a long night and more than likely an equally long day. He didn't want to pursue his physical interest in his "wife" until he knew for sure that everything was as she said it was. Until he had at least one or two memories coinciding with her story he would keep to himself, no matter how hard her physical proximity made it.

Of course this conviction was difficult to abide by when we woke the next day with Magdalene sprawled on his chest, his arms wrapped around her waist. Gavin glanced around the room, studying every feature in the daylight. There was a window with a tight sheet of hide drawn across it, allowing only two small slants of morning sunshine into the room. He saw two trunks, one hers and the other probably his. There was a desk and chair but no other furniture. It was clean and well organized, though sparse.

Gavin yawned and blinked away the sleep. He was about to move his hands when Magdalene stirred. He moaned in frustration when he felt himself already hard with the usual morning arousal. His hands tightened on her waist in his attempts to keep her from getting any closer. He gritted his teeth when Magdalene shifted on top of him, the insides of one of her thighs heavily brushing against him. He could feel her breasts against his chest through the thin material of her nightdress and that didn't help matters at all either. Gavin swore to himself when she shifted again, this time pressing her face against his neck. She may or may not be his wife, but right now a part of him seriously didn't care either way.

"Magdalene." Gavin spoke near her ear, wanting to wake her as gently, but quickly, as possible.

She sighed against his neck, her warm breath making his skin ripple in awareness. He closed his eyes tightly and counted to twenty before he opened them again.

"Magdalene, wake up." She made some sort of noise in the back of her throat, close to a moan, but didn't move. Gavin growled to himself and shook her body slightly, "Maggie, wake up."

He was surprised at how easily her common name came to him and how natural it sounded for him to call her Maggie. Maybe there was something to her story after all.

"Wake up, Maggie." He again shook her, this time turning his head to blow cool air in her face, "Its morning."

She wrinkled her nose in protest and frowned. Gavin couldn't help but find her antics adorable and found that he wanted to kiss the tip of her nose. He didn't though. Kissing her nose could lead to other things that he didn't think he was quite ready for. He again shook her, calling her name until he saw her eyelids flutter then slowly blink open.

He could tell she was still half asleep when she looked at him, a soft smile on her lips. He couldn't help but smile back. She yawned and stretched against his body much like a cat would and Gavin cursed under his breath when she practically rubbed her entire leg against his arousal. Magdalene stopped her movements except for her leg, which curiously brushed him again and then jerked away once her curiosity was satisfied.

The evidence of his desire seemed to wipe the sleep from her eyes and she immediately stiffened against him, her eyes wide and full of apprehension. Gavin wondered why she would be so anxious over his desire for her, but he figured that she was just wondering if he had remembered her or had changed his mind since last night.

"Don't worry about that, Maggie," he smiled softly at her as he extracted his arms from around her body, "You should know by now that that happens every morning."

He watched her quickly nod, a soft smile again coming to her lips as she too extracted herself from him, "Oh I know that Gavin, I just didn't know if you remembered anything or not."

Gavin nodded and watched in idle curiosity as she threw off the covers and bounded from the bed with an energy he hadn't seen in her moments before. She pulled out her clothes and set them on her trunk. She moved to the window next, throwing back the cover and allowing the fresh morning air and sunshine into the room. The sunlight shining through her nightdress left very little to Gavin's imagination.

"I'll fetch some water to wash up with and see if the boys have started the morning fire." Magdalene spoke as she turned from the window and moved towards the door, "I'll be right back."

She disappeared before he could ask her why she hadn't changed first. He shrugged before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and standing up. He took his time stretching his very stiff body. He figured it'd probably take a few days to work out all the kinks he'd received from his accident.

The door opened and Gavin turned to see his supposed brother-in-law standing there with a pair of clothes in one hand and a bowl of water in the other. He came in and set it on the bed before turning and starting out the door. Gavin stopped him when he called his name. Ben turned around to face him, his face blank.

"Why are my clothes out there and not in here?"

Ben blushed, "I guess you don't remember this but you and my sister have been fighting over the past few weeks and a few days ago she made you move your clothes and belongings out into our area. You've actually been sleeping with Tim before last night." Ben shrugged, "I'm actually surprised Maggie didn't come out and sleep with him last night. Guess she was just happy you were okay."

He shrugged again before leaving the room to Gavin and his confusion. Again, it was a logical explanation, though he did wonder what he'd been arguing with Maggie about. Gavin growled as he pulled his old clothes from his body. He moved the bowl of water to the bedside table and quickly splashed the cool water on his face and chest. It wasn't a very thorough washing but it would do for now. Gavin shook his head until the water flew from it, causing his hair to spike up in different directions. He picked up his old shirt and began to dry his chest and arms when the door opened.

"Oh..." Magdalene stood at the door, her eyes wide and her mouth open.

Gavin wondered if her reaction was because she'd NEVER seen him naked or because she hadn't seen him naked in a while. He'd play along with her story until he knew for sure if it was true or not. He figured he could reap the benefits in the process.

Gavin gave her a cheeky smile, "Haven't seen your naked husband for a while have you?"

Magdalene closed her mouth and purposefully closed the door behind her. She kept her eyes on his face as she moved to the bed and gathered her cloths. She smiled softly at him and shook her head.

"Before the accident, we were fighting over whether or not you should go into Nottingham to seek out more work." Magdalene picked up the bowl of water and moved it over to the desk, across the room from his still nude body. "I got so mad at you and your stubbornness that I made you move your stuff and yourself out with the boys." Gavin watched her as she slowly shed the nightdress, leaving her in a thin but sufficient shift. "So yes, it has been a few weeks since I've seen you naked or that we've been intimate."

Gavin nodded, keeping his chuckle to himself. He pulled his trousers on, followed by the boots he found at the foot of the bed. He kept his eyes on Magdalene though. He was surprised at how beautiful she was. She hadn't been so beautiful the day before, nor had she been the night before. She'd been pretty with her pert nose that turned up slightly at the end, wide forehead, high cheekbones, long, wavy brunette hair, and lanky arms and legs. Now, as she pulled a wet cloth over her bare arms and neck, he found her beautiful.

Gavin shook his head before pulling his tunic over his head, tying it into place with the leather belt he found in his clothing. He combed his fingers through his hair then moved to the door. He paused before he opened it. He looked back at Magdalene, who hadn't looked up from her bathing, then back to the wooden door. He smiled to himself before opening the door.

"Maggie," he looked over his shoulder, his blue green eyes meeting her green ones, "I'll be moving my things back in here tonight."

He was still smiling as he closed the door and sat down with his sons to eat their morning meal.


	6. He Would Be the Death of Her

Magdalene glared at the door, her body shaking with both anger and fear. Quickly, so very quickly, her carefully laid plans were beginning to unravel. Not only had she woken up to find herself happily held against his warm body, but she'd liked it. Not only had he been aroused with her so close, but she'd been glad. Not only had she seen him naked, but she'd wanted to touch him. Not only had he watched her bathe, but she'd wanted him to help her.

Magdalene growled to herself as she dried and pulled on her dress and bodice. What was she going to do that evening when he got in bed and wanted to fulfill his desires? He'd quickly discover the fact that not only was she a virgin but also she'd never even been kissed by a man, let alone him. She knew enough about the ways of men and women to know that a virgin was easily recognized in the bedroom—her mother had informed her of that at a young age when she'd asked how one could tell.

Magdalene pulled her hair back into a neat braid before she moved from the room and into the common area where the others were already eating. She knew Ben had already told Gisborn what they did during the day, trying to "remind" him of his daily duties. Magdalene sat down beside Marcus and served herself. She hid her smile when she saw Tim practically bounce next to Gisborn, telling him how excited he was about their new building project. Magdalene hadn't heard about a building project and so looked to Marcus for an explanation.

"Father said that it was high time we had another room where we boys could sleep so we could have more room in here and also more privacy for ourselves." Marcus spoke softly but kept to the story with his labeling of Gisborn.

Magdalene's eyes widened and she looked over at Gisborn with surprise. His eyes met hers over the table and she saw a smile in his eyes. She blushed and quickly looked back down to her food. The others finished before she did and left to start their new "project." Even Tim went with them. Magdalene knew he was going to try to annoy Gisborn left and right, Marcus was going to try to contradict him with his knowledge, and Ben was going to stare at him until Gisborn felt the need to rip his eyes out. They had discussed this plan of attack the day before.

Magdalene finished her food and stood. She stared at the room around her and sighed. She needed to empty her mother's trunk in her room and quickly put her mother's stuff in one of the storage trunks in the corner of the room. She also needed to get her father's clothes out of the storage trunk and put it in the trunk in her room. Her father's clothes would fit Gisborn better than Ben's, and Ben had told her he'd found the old clothing the night before.

As Magdalene worked, she tried to figure out a way to counteract his desire to be with her. How was she going to keep him at bay? He was stronger than her and she was "legally" bound to him and had to obey him. Magdalene growled as she worked. Outside she heard Tim's shouts of encouragement coming from the woods. They were probably finding trees to use for the new building.

Magdalene suddenly stopped her work and grinned as an idea came to her. It would work! She would have to tell Tim to have a "nightmare" tonight and he would come in and sleep with them. If having a squirmy child in bed didn't keep his desire at bay, Magdalene was pressed to know what would.

* * *

While Magdalene discovered the delightful uses of littler brother's nightmares, Gavin discovered that he wasn't very good at chopping down trees, nor was he very good at anything else the boys had him doing. Maybe it was because he couldn't remember anything of his past, or maybe it was because it was all a lie. He didn't know either way as of yet. He did know that if these were his sons he'd raised hard working boys, though they were both bothersome and annoying in their own way.

Marcus always tried to correct him and pointed out his errors. Tim was always hovering over his shoulder, always bouncing around him, always talking. Together they made Gavin want to tear his hair out from time to time. Of course there was the quieter but equally bothersome Ben. He worked just as hard as Gavin and quietly helped him whenever he needed it, but he was always staring at him. He seemed cautious and untrustworthy towards Gavin. He supposed that was normal for a man who didn't know if his sister's husband was altogether there or not mentally.

By the time they went in for the midday meal, Gavin was exhausted, just as confused as he had been the night before, and more than a little annoyed with his "family." Magdalene didn't help matters any. She was both friendly and cold towards him. She served him, sat beside him, and smiled at him, but made no move to engage him in deeper conversation or ask about his health. This made Gavin wonder whether or not he and his "wife" had a love marriage or one of convenience. If his wife didn't appear to be worried about his mental health then was she really his wife?

"How much have you remembered?" Magdalene asked once the boys had cleared away their things and had gone outside to check on the animals, leaving her alone with Gavin.

Gavin sat at the table and watched her clean away their meal, "Nothing actually. I've discovered that I'm not a very good carpenter or woodsman, nor am I very good at keeping cows in line. I have the strangest feeling that I'm going to discover that I'm not very good at plowing either. Ben tells me that we were planning on planting tomorrow and needed to re-plow the field before we could do so."

Magdalene nodded but said nothing. Gavin frowned at his "wife." She was so odd. He was attracted to her, found her intriguing, but was also annoyed by her. She wasn't at all what he expected. He wondered if she was his "type" of woman. Did he enjoy his wife? Did they ever laugh together? Did they share tastes? Did they have dreams and hopes together? Did they ever seek to live beyond farming? Somehow he knew that he was a more ambitious man than a mere farmer.

"Have we ever discussed moving into Nottingham for better prospects?"

She sighed, "You've been pushing for more 'prosperous' ambitions lately yes."

"How do you feel about that?'

Magdalene continued her cleaning, "Well considering I made you move in with the boys, I think it's rather obvious that I would prefer to remain out here, away from the corruption of that place."

Gavin frowned. He didn't know anything about Nottingham, or the surrounding area. He could recall England and its history. He could also recall the history of France and somehow knew that he could speak French as well. Perhaps that was from his days as a solider, as Maggie had mentioned earlier. Despite all this though, he knew nothing of himself still.

"What's my favorite food?" Gavin suddenly asked, watching Magdalene stiffen slightly.

"Believe it or not, Gavin, but you've always been a private sort of man." Magdalene looked at him briefly, "You've never really shared many of your opinions with me."

Gavin nodded but said nothing more. Well that answered those questions. It also made him wonder again if she was just really good at evading his questions and stringing him along with her story.

Gavin sighed and leaned forward, dropping his head into his hands as they rested on the table. Why did he doubt them all? Why couldn't he be satisfied with this life? What if this really was his life? Would he be satisfied? The more he pondered these thoughts and those related, the more his head hurt and the more he realized that he really was dependent on this woman and her family, or his family. They were giving him food, shelter, and hope for a future in a time where he didn't even remember his past. He should be thankful to them instead of suspecting them of wrongdoing.

Gavin looked up and watched Magdalene as she prepared bread for their evening meal. She had some flour on her nose and a few strands of her dark hair had come loose to rest around her face. She looked quite domestic and at ease in this setting. Gavin wondered if he would be satisfied with her and all she offered. Had he been satisfied before his accident?

"I swear I can feel you thinking from over here." Gavin suddenly came back to the moment when he heard the hint of amusement in Magdalene's voice.

He tipped his head to the side. This was the first time she'd showed him any emotion really. So far she'd been rather flat towards him, though he had seen her blush once or twice.

"What do you mean?"

Magdalene brushed the back of her hand against her forehead, spreading some more flour on her face, "You sighed at least three times, your frowning, and you've been tapping your fingers on the table. Those are all fairly good signs of deep contemplation."

Gavin nodded, a slight smile on his face, "Yes, I suppose you're right. I'm just trying to remember what my opinions on life and such had been before the accident and I'm trying to figure out what they are now." He shrugged as he stood and moved to stand beside her, "What was I like before the accident?"

He saw Magdalene stiffen again. This time she was open with her reaction. Her hands stilled their movements and her shoulders slouched. He raised his eyebrows at her reaction but said nothing for the few silent moments it took her to collect herself enough to reply.

"You want the truth, Gavin?" She peered up at him through her eyelashes.

Gavin nodded, crossing his arms across his chest. Magdalene sighed but nodded, returning to her work.

"Well, Gavin, you weren't very nice." He tipped his head to the side but waited for her to continue. "You manipulated others to do your will; you took advantage of people if they were in a tough situation. You had no mercy towards those in a harder situation and you were ruthless towards anyone who bothered to cross you. You were loyal only to yourself, and sinking below chivalry was not beyond you. You had a violent temper and if you wanted something you didn't ask before you simply took it, no matter what." She looked at him fully, a deep pain in her eyes. "You were, plain and simple, a heartless bastard that hated life and anyone who found joy in it."

Gavin was surprised at what he'd heard from his "wife." He was surprised at many things. Had he really been like that? He knew the pain in her eyes was real; there was very little chance of her disguising that clarity. If he'd been so bad why had she married him? He stopped and looked down at his feet. Maybe she'd been one of those things he'd simply taken without asking.

"I'm sorry," he heard Magdalene speak softly next to him, "I'm sorry if I spoke too truthfully for you just now. I just wanted you to know the honest to goodness truth of whom and what you were before this." She sighed, "That doesn't mean you have to be that way now though. You can be someone different now. The accident may have made you lose your memories but you've gained a clean slate. You can start over again."

She'd moved closer and laid a flour covered hand on his gray tunic. He looked at her and was surprised at the amount of emotion he found in her eyes. Her words were coming from her heart, he saw this easily. She was showing him more emotion now than ever before. He saw inside her a hope for him; he saw that she believed her own words and believed that he could change. He wondered if she was right, about what he had been and that he could change. He knew she was right in that he did have a clean slate, for better or worse.

"I can help." She smiled then, the smile reaching her lips and her eyes both. "If you want me to, that is, I can help you find yourself. Well, at least, the 'self' you want to be now."

He suddenly gave her a twisted smile, "Who says I don't want to be what I was?"

Gavin watched her eyes die and was disappointed when she immediately pulled away and went back to her work. He mentally cursed himself; why had he said that? She'd finally started warming up to him and he'd gone and pushed her away. He was confused as to why he was so disappointed in her withdrawal but he figured it was for the best for now.

"Father! We're ready!" He heard Tim's voice come from near the shed out back and he had to smile at the power that boy's voice had.

He straightened and began to move away then stopped. Even though he thought better of it, Gavin found himself turning back around and putting his hand on Magdalene's shoulder. When she looked up at him, he smiled slightly and gave her a quick kiss. When he pulled away, he took the time to wipe the flour from her forehead and nose.

"Thank you for your honesty, Maggie." He tapped the tip of her nose before he stepped away and left.

Magdalene continued to stare at the empty space Gisborn had been in moments before.

Mentally she was screaming, "Huh?" But physically she could only make a sputtering noise. He just confused the very heck out of her. He'd gone from pestering her with questions and trying to trick her into revealing herself to asking her about himself. Then he'd gone and showed her a bit of the old him and then he'd gone and been nice to her, even kissed her! What the-!

"My goodness." Magdalene sighed as she went back to work.

That man was going to be the death of her, she was sure of it. He was going to trick her into telling him the truth...or he was going to trick her into falling in love with him. Either way, Magdalene knew she wasn't going to last very long against him if she didn't keep up her guard.

She smiled as she worked. Speaking of guard...Tim was going to come in handy tonight.


	7. Adventures Elsewhere

Meanwhile Elsewhere in Sherwood

"My lady, I really don't think-"

"Well you see dear boy you aren't paid to think now are you?" The in question swung around in her saddle to glare at the impertinent page boy. "You are paid to keep books and keep your mouth shut. Why don't you let me worry about the thinking part? You've also been instructed NOT to call me that." She heard the man next to her snicker and turned her glare on him, "What? You have something to add Sir Bradley?"

He smiled, "Oh it's just that your thinking often lands us into trouble. I believe that is what the poor page boy was trying to allude to, that it is you're rather colorful past history of near misses that he has had to endure with you that made him speak out thus."

"What does that have to do with now? We're calmly riding through a picturesque forest. Nothing impulsively done and no high cliffs to fall off of." She again glared back at the page boy who at least had the decency to gulp and look away. She quickly continued, "I only did one impulsive thing earlier and now that that is over with we can continue on with the mission."

She looked back at the rest of her men as they traveled silently, their horses surrounding the page boy's. It had been a quiet journey, save for her slight detour a few days before. Perhaps it was the quiet that had finally gotten to the page boy and made him fret like he had been doing for the past few minutes.

"Lady Ashley," she glared at Sir Bradley's terminology and watched as he merely smiled in response, "what you don't seem to take into account in regards to this 'picturesque' forest is the plague of bandits that we very nearly came into contact with the other day." Sir Bradley shrugged as he fingered the reins in his hands. "I believe the page boy is nervous about that and was hoping that you'd rethink the urgency of your mission and perhaps detour around the forest as much as possible."

Ashley rolled her eyes, "The page boy or you Sir Bradley?" She rolled her shoulders beneath a sleek, brown leather trench coat before slapping her hand against her equally leather trouser clad thigh. "I am fully aware of the dangers this forest holds and that is exactly why I wanted to come through here. I need a little adventure in my life Sir Bradley, surely as a mercenary yourself you can understand that?"

"Adventure, Ashley?" He sounded like he was choking on the words, earning another glare from Ashley. "My lady you are employed by one of the most powerful leaders in this land to conduct secretive missions that have led you all over the world, well beyond the Holy Land and back again. How could you possibly crave adventure BEYOND that?"

Ashley was about to chuckle when suddenly the forest around them quieted and she felt her trusted horse tense beneath her. She immediately put her hand on her sword hilt and signaled for her men to do the same. Behind her she heard the page boy scramble to pull out his own dagger whilst juggling the bulky mass of scrolls in the hand sack perched in his lap.

They continued on their way, her horse knowing which way to go even when she took both her hands off the reins in order to lay her other hand on just one of the many hidden daggers on her body. There was someone, or something, lurking just out of sight. She could feel it in her bones, and her "bones" were rarely if ever wrong.

Of course, her "bones" didn't have to wait long before they attacked. It was a band of at least four men and, she noted with a little self-pride, one woman. They quickly overwhelmed the other two employed guards and were attempting to get to the page boy. Sir Bradley valiantly held off three of them whilst the woman and one other man advanced on her.

She knew they probably didn't realize she was a woman, what with her short cropped brown hair and her outfit of leather trousers and tunic carefully hiding whatever womanly curves she might've had. It was her "work" outfit and allowed for greater movement while she "kicked ass." It also allowed for many places to hide various weapons, and she actually had a favorite pastime of inventing new ways of hiding larger and more powerful weapons in different areas. Currently, as she sat waiting for them to make their first move, she was a walking armory and was not at all worried about running out of weapons to fight with.

"Well, well what do we have here?" The man spoke as he stalked closer, his green tunic the obvious reason why she hadn't spotted him earlier. "Messengers for the Sheriff perhaps? Or are you tax collectors?"

Ashley snorted, "May all tax collectors die horribly awkward deaths."

She knew without having to ask that this was Robin Hood and his men. She knew that they would meet up eventually. It was destined, for her to fight him, not that she minded in the least. He was a worthy adversary in her eyes.

The woman made the first move and Ashley was quick to repel her attack with a flourished attack of her own, sending the larger though less agile woman flying backwards to stumble into a heap on the forest floor. The man appeared impressed but that did not stop him from making his own attack. He was harder to repel and in fact Ashley had to instruct her horse to maneuver him against a tree in order to release another set of attacks that sent his sword flying.

As she pressed the tip of her sword against his neck she saw his hard eyes narrow as she spoke, "Should I show mercy?"

Suddenly his eyes changed and before she could assess the cause she felt something hard and heavy slam against her skull. Her sword dropped from her hand as she slumped forward and clutched at her horse's neck. Damn…where the hell had that come from?

Before she drifted off she felt the man lift her head and smirk into her face, "Should I show mercy?" Then he dropped her head and darkness clouded in.

Robin stood and looked back at his men. They had knocked the other guards unconscious, leaving only the small page boy still alert enough to answer questions.

"Who are you?" He demanded as he stalked closer to the near whimpering boy.

"A humble page boy sir."

"Who do you work for?" Kate asked, having recuperated from her earlier fall.

The boy looked over at the small man Robin had been fighting, "Him, sir."

"And who is he then?" Allan pulled the boy to his feet.

A satchel full of scrolls fell from the boy's grasp. The boy let out a yelp and immediately started to reach for the fallen items. Allan's dagger at his throat stopped his movements just as quickly as they'd begun. Robin bent and picked up one of the scrolls. He studied it silently for a few moments before frowning. It was written in some sort of code, whatever it was.

"What is this?" He waved one of the scrolls in the boy's face.

The boy shook his head, "I have been ordered on pain of death to remain silent. Until I get further orders from my employer I will tell you nothing."

Robin smiled. Bold words for such a young boy. He signaled for his men to collect the men as he bent and retrieved the rest of the scrolls. He returned to the still unconscious "employer" the boy had been referring to. He was surprised that such a small and youthful looking man had been able to disarm him so quickly. There was something going on here and he was certainly going to find out one way or another.

With only a slight grunt he bent and picked up the small man, tossing him over his horse's back. They quickly led the horses deeper into the forest, Kate and Much walking behind them covering their tracks.


	8. A Mere Disagreement

Outlaw's Camp

She woke with a raging headache of the sort she'd only experienced once before in the wilds of Mongolia after the nomads had captured her and her party and fed them some of the strongest alcohol she'd ever tasted. Just the thought of that potent poison made her head swim even more.

"Oi Robin! One of them's awake." She winced at the loud voice spoken near her head.

She shook her head to clear it, almost immediately regretting the action. Whatever, or whomever, had hit her would certainly pay later. She hadn't been taken by surprise like that in years and it galled her to think that she'd been bested so easily. It was probably the anger that allowed her to sit up straight and glare into the face of Robin despite the swimming pain still residing in her skull.

"I demand to know why I've been captured, tied, and am obviously at your 'mercy?'" Her voice was huskier than normal, again probably thanks to the blow earlier. "I'd also like to know who or what hit me so when I get out of here I can repay him or her in kind."

A tall hulking man leaning against a tree not far off snorted, "That would be me and I don't see how you'll be able to repay as you're the one tied up and I'm the one free."

Ashley growled at him but turned her attention back to Robin. Damn, she inwardly growled, but he was handsome. What helped keep her from dwelling on his looks though was the fact that was he was probably like every other outlaw leader, an arrogant, egotistical prat who deserved a good smack upside the head every five minutes.

"Who do you work for?" He was kneeling in front of her, examining one of her many daggers—this one just happened to be one of the ones she'd procured during her time in the Holy Land.

"That is none of your business. And seriously why would you think I'd tell you so easily after we had such a disagreement?"

Another man snorted, this one looking perpetually nervous, "You call that a disagreement? I'd call that a flat out fight. I mean-"

"Much." Robin glanced at the man over his shoulder, rendering the man fumingly silent. When he turned back to face Ashley he held the dagger closer. "Where did you get this?"

"You're so smart, you figure it out." Ashley clenched her jaw and looked pointedly past him to where she saw Sir Bradley tied together with the page boy and the other two guards. They were all still unconscious.

"I'm just curious because only assassins employed by Saladin receive such elaborately made daggers." He traced the edge of the dagger against her throat but Ashley refused to wince or jerk away. "I'm very curious as to how such a specimen landed in your hands. Not only are you a white Christian but you also don't look like much of a warrior, especially not one that would deserve a reward such as this."

Ashley snorted, wondering if they knew she was also a woman—not that she was about to let them in on that secret (and she hoped the others hadn't open their mouths either).

"Looks can be deceiving. I was good enough to knock your sword away earlier so who's to say I'm not good enough to be an assassin employed by Saladin himself?"

Robin drew closer, his lips curling up in contempt, "Would you be so corrupt that you'd willingly take the lives of fellow Christians whilst employed by an infidel?"

"Apparently you've been judge and jury already," Ashley turned to face him fully, only now realizing that their faces were very close, "So I'm not about to justify my actions or answer your questions. If you want the truth from me you're going to have to attempt to pry it out of me using torturous means." She didn't blink as she leaned even closer until the tip of her nose brushed his. "I dare you."

Robin looked shocked that the man would say such a thing and immediately drew back until he stood frowning down at the slight man tied at his feet. He shook his head before walking away. He would have to figure out what to do with these secretive people. He could only assume that they worked for either Isabella, as lately she'd had been doubling the guard and combing the countryside, or these people worked for Prince John.

He rubbed a hand across his face as he sat down around the fire with the rest of his men. He hadn't slept a decent night ever since they'd returned from the Holy Land. He was haunted by images of Marian, memories of their brief time together, plagued with thoughts of what might've been had her life not been stolen from her so prematurely by that evil bastard Gisborn. Then everything lately had happened so quickly. Kate's new presence among their group—and he could tell that she was attracted to him, then there had been Isabella and her betrayal. He raked a hand through his hair, trying not to think about all the things that had happened so quickly.

"So what are we going to do with them?" Tuck asked as he sat down, turning his gaze on the other group of men separated from their leader.

"I don't know." Robin sighed. "Until we know who they work for and what those scrolls say I don't think we should let them go."

Much whined, "But what are we going to do with them in the meantime?"

Ashley watched as they spoke in hushed tones, all the while manipulating her body until she was able to painfully yet efficiently snap her shoulder out of place. It was a trick she'd learned from the Chinese. Of course, it hurt like hell every time but what had to be done had to be done. She continued to contort her body until she managed to pull her tied hands to the front of her body. She'd wait until nightfall before she cut herself loose with the dagger that she knew for a fact was still hidden. She somewhat recognized the area and knew of at least one place she could go for help.

She sighed and did her best to ignore her rumbling stomach. It had already been hours since Robin had first talked to her. In that time frame she'd had to quickly move her hands back behind her back when the one called Little John—that fiend who'd hit her—had given her some bread to gnaw on. She'd also signaled Sir Bradley and the others to keep their mouths shut because after a while, from the way Robin and the others handled her and spoke to her, it was obvious that they didn't know she was a woman—and that could be a definite advantage.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift momentarily, always keeping an alert ear on her surroundings. She didn't know how much time passed but when she heard the rest settle in and Much was left awake on watch she finally made her move. She again dislocated her shoulder and pulled her hands in front of her. Working swiftly, she pressed the lever of her boot and felt around in the darkness for the secret compartment that held her tiny knife. It would take a little while to cut such thick rope with such a tiny knife but it would work. Indeed, she was free sooner than she expected and as quietly as possible she tucked her knife away and carefully stood. She hated leaving her weapons in the hands of such people but she had little choice.

She waited until Much was facing the others before she made a break for it. She knew how to tread quietly, a trick she'd learned from the Afghans. Once she was far enough away, where she knew she wouldn't be heard, she broke out into a full out run. She didn't know exactly which direction she should take but she knew that once she made it to the river she could find her way there. She knew of one person who would help her, and she could only hope that she was still there.


	9. Sparking A Fire

Sherwood Homestead

Magdalene was carefully tucked into bed by the time Gavin came into the room that evening. The meal had long been cleared away and the boys sent off to bed. Gavin could barely see the top of her brunette head among the pillows. He smiled to himself as he sat on the edge of the bed. Maybe she was nervous because of that afternoon, or maybe she was angry because of that afternoon. Either way, she was in bed, and he was going to be in there with her in just a few moments. Gavin drew off his tunic and shed his trousers. He preferred to sleep in the nude, always had...wait...had he?

"Maggie!" Gavin jumped on the bed like a two year old, fiercely shaking Magdalene.

Magdalene shot up and looked around with fear in her eyes, "What? What's wrong?"

Gisborn kneeled on the bed, his hands on her shoulders, his eyes wide, and a nervous smile on his face. Magdalene studied him in apprehension and confusion, doing her best to keep her eyes north of his chest instead of south of the borderline, which would only cause tension and she'd had enough of that. As she studied Gisborn she noticed a bit of fear in his eyes and she immediately knew that something was serious, and more serious than their relationship.

"I think I just remembered something about my past." He said slowly, his grip on her shoulders lessening a bit. "Maggie, have I always slept naked?"

Magdalene opened and closed her mouth, not knowing if she should laugh or cry. He was asking her if he had slept naked before this? How in the heck was she supposed to know? She could easily fib, as she had been doing, but still...the thought of Gisborn sleeping naked...and beside her...had her insides doing funny things they'd never done before.

"Yes, Gavin, you have." Magdalene supposed that with his track record with women it wouldn't hurt to guess in nudity's favor. "That's grand that you remembered something! Even if it is something simple such as your sleeping habits, but that's a great start!"  
She patted him lightly on the shoulder with a smile before turning and lying back down.

Gavin blinked a couple of times, staring at the back of Magdalene's head with a mixture of confusion and frustration. Here he'd gone and remembered something and all she could do was pat his shoulder? What the hell kind of wifely reaction was that? Gavin growled to himself as he seized a hold of Magdalene's shoulder and turned her onto her back, hovering over her with his arms pinning hers to her sides.

Magdalene's eyes were large and Gavin quickly saw the hint of fear in her eyes. Maybe she was afraid that he was going to be the "bastard" she said he used to be, or maybe she was just afraid of him because he was a stranger to her. Damn, all this uncertainty was beginning to get on his nerves!

"What are you doing, G-gavin?" Magdalene's voice wasn't as steady as it had been, though she made a good show of steeling herself against him with her uplifted chin and firm jaw.

Gavin gave her a predator's grin, "I want some answers and I think I know how I'm going to get them."

Magdalene's eyes widened and if it was at all possible her jaw tightened even more. Gavin felt her entire body tense under his as he shifted his weight to press her into the mattress, his legs straddling hers. Again, if it was possible, her eyes widened even more and Gavin just smiled wider. Yes, she was definitely nervous now.

"You can ask me any question and I'll answer. I've been answering all your questions, you know I have." Magdalene sounded annoyed, "I don't see why you feel the need to suddenly get physical over this."

Gavin chuckled, "Aw but that is where my questions lie." He shook his head at her confused expression. "I found out today that I'm not very good around the farm, so I obviously haven't remembered how to be a farmer." He lifted one of his hands and brought it up to her neck where he lightly traced his fingertips against her warm skin. "I'm wondering if I'll remember the feel of your skin," he leaned forward and pressed his nose close to her ear, brushing it against her, "the smell of your body," he moved to press his lips just below her ear where he flicked out his tongue, "or the taste of you."

The hand at her neck moved down until it was barred by the laces of her nightdress. By now he could feel her breathing heavily beneath him, her legs having shifted a time or two. He was surprised she hadn't tried to push him away yet, but then maybe she wanted this, wanted him. No matter what the reason, Gavin was determined to know if he knew this woman, mind or body.

"H-how w-will this h-help?" Magdalene fisted her hands by her sides and refused to let herself melt as she felt his fingers unlace the top of her nightdress, the tips of his fingers brushing across her heavily sensitized skin.

She felt him chuckle, the deep rumbling in his chest vibrating against her. His breath warmed her neck and the sharp hair of his barely-there beard scratched at her skin as he moved his face down her neck. Oh bother...this was going to be tough. How was she going to keep her mind focused when one of his legs had moved between hers? How was she supposed to keep her lies straight when one of his hands had moved to rest heavily on her hip? How in the world was she supposed to stay calm and collected when he was now pressing feather-light kisses on her collarbone and licking the dip at the base of her neck?

"My dear Maggie," his voice was like liquid fire against her skin and Magdalene had to list off her brother's birthdays to keep from sighing in pleasure when he kissed up her neck to where her pulse pounded, "my body will remember you," he sucked gently at her skin and her mouth opened on a silent gasp, "if I've had you."

His words gave Magdalene the clarity of mind to fight against the onslaught of sensations in the moments that followed. She could hear his breathing mixing with her own, the shallow breaths matching. She could feel the heat of his body on hers, making her want to pull away or strip and cuddle closer. She could see the outline of his body pressing down on hers and she couldn't help but feel a tingling in her belly at the primitive sight of his masculine possession of her. She was in new territory and how no idea what to do, what to say, or how to get out!

"W-what makes you t-think you haven't h-had me? We're m-married, G-gavin." She knew her voice was stumbling over itself and she distinctly heard a plea in her own voice and that made her quite frustrated.

Gavin smiled, his lips still against the skin on her neck. He didn't say anything as his free hand finally freed the last lacing of her nightdress where it ended on her chest. He used his fingers to part the material even as he moved his head to where he could pull the lobe of her ear into his mouth. With only his fingertips, Gavin traced circles and lines on the soft skin of her upper chest, feeling her shallow breathing rise and fall against his chest, feeling her rapid pulse against his fingers. He was definitely getting a reaction out of her.

He was also enjoying her. She tasted fresh and clean, she smelled both spicy and sweet, and her skin was oh so soft. He deeply enjoyed feeling her beneath him, he greatly enjoyed the reaction he got from her, and he knew he was going to enjoy everything else to come as well. Perhaps she was his wife after all.

"Right now, Maggie," Gavin raised his head to look down into her sweet face, "I don't know what I think," he flattened his palm against her skin right over her heart and he watched her lips part even as her eyes widened, "but I do know what I feel." He slowly moved his hand lower as he dipped his head down to hover a breath away from hers.

When his hand fully cupped her breast he looked directly into her wide eyes and smiled softly. "I know I like the feel of you," he brushed his thumb over the tip of her breast and smiled when she gasped and slightly arched into him, "I know I like the smell of you," he leaned down and inhaled the scent of her hair, "and I know I like the taste of you," he pulled her earlobe into his mouth again, sucking gently before nipping at it.

Magdalene couldn't think straight now. This was too much. His hand had done something to her breasts. They felt heavy and swollen, his finger brushing over her nipple sending little fires of pleasure into her chest. She wanted him to touch the other, to hold the other like he was now. She wanted him to...Magdalene tried to even her breathing, clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides, fighting her desire to hold him against her.

Gavin against looked into her eyes, "And I know I'll love kissing you."

Magdalene's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to protest but was silenced before she could even speak, by Gisborn's lips pressing against her own. She didn't close her eyes, neither did he. They stared at one another, studying the reactions of the other. His lips were firm, though not crushing against hers, demanding though patient. The kiss was warm and full of promise. Magdalene wanted more but didn't...she couldn't and shouldn't do what her body so wanted to do.

Gisborn pulled away slightly, bringing the hand that had been on her hip up to cup her face. His thumb caressed her cheek in the same way the other caressed her breast. Her body was an instrument and he was playing her like a professional. She could only wonder what was he going to do for an encore?

"Open to me Maggie," Gisborn kissed the side of her mouth, whispering against her lips, "Open to me."

Oh if he only knew how much weight those words held! Magdalene didn't have time to lament her choices or thoughts; she didn't have time to think of the future or of consequences. After his whispers she was done, through, finished. She was clay ready for him to mold, and that pissed her off enough to kiss him back, opening to him the way he said he wanted her to.

Gavin was surprised, to say the least, when he suddenly felt one of Magdalene's hands at the back of his neck and the other wrapping around his waist. She responded so suddenly that he didn't have time to think before she was opening her mouth against his, seeking his moist warmth the way he'd first sought hers. He didn't let his surprise keep him from enjoying this though. He savored her willingness, relished it. He tasted her tentatively with the tip of his tongue, running it along her bottom lip before gently pressing into her mouth.

She didn't stiffen but instead touched the tip of her tongue to his. That was all the encouragement Gavin needed before he traced his tongue along the length of hers, delving into her mouth, fully tasting her the way he'd been wanting to. She was sweet and spicy here too. He could taste her like this for hours and still not get enough, he was sure of it.

Magdalene was thoroughly enjoying her little rebellion against reality and common sense. The way Gisborn kissed...her toes were curled and deep in her belly, a strange warmth was building and moving to rest between her legs. She moved her legs restlessly and Gisborn seemed to understand what she wanted or needed because his leg moved higher up to rest more firmly against the junction of her legs. She moaned into his mouth at the feeling the sudden friction against her most intimate places caused. This seemed to incite Gisborn more because he was kissing her more deeply, his tongue going in and out of her mouth in a rhythm she knew he wanted to do initiate further south.

"Maggie," Gavin sighed against her lips as he moved his hand more firmly against her breast, his other coming down to join on the other breast.

Magdalene held Gisborn firmly against her, her hand tugging at his thick hair, stroking up and down his naked back. She was on fire and yet she desired more of his warmth. She was panting out of breath and yet she wanted to breathe him into herself. She wanted...she needed...she desired...

"Guy..." Magdalene whispered when Gisborn ducked his head to spread warm, wet kisses against her throat.

She didn't know if he noticed her slip, or if he cared, because suddenly he was kissing her breast, suddenly he was pulling the tip of her breast into his mouth and she was arching against him, cradling his head to her. He was filling her with so much desire, so much want and need. He was opening her up to a whole new world, a whole new existence. She didn't know if she could go back to what she had been before he touched her like this. She didn't know if she wanted to.

"Mother."

Gisborn pulled his mouth away, the cool air hitting her wet chest with the same suddenness of Tim's voice in the room. Magdalene mentally cursed and blessed her brother. If he hadn't come tonight, their plan would've been ruined, and all because she was curious and aroused by her enemy. Magdalene continued her inward cursing as she hastily tied up her nightdress.

How could she have been so stupid? How could she be so weak? This was a man notorious for his merciless attitude towards women! This was a man rumored to have left his own child in the forest to die! This was the man who'd condemned her family to poverty! This was her enemy!

"What's wrong Tim?" Gisborn seemed to have regained his ability to speak faster than Magdalene.

Tim hovered near the door looking every bit the small child frightened, "I had a nightmare."

Gavin sighed, "What are we supposed to do about that?"

Tim looked from Gisborn to Magdalene's scowling face. She was scowling at herself, at Gisborn, and at Tim. She was scowling at the situation, at what the situation could've become, and what the situation was turning out to be.

"Gavin, you may not remember this but whenever Tim has a nightmare we allow him to sleep with us the rest of the night or else he'll never get to sleep and he'll keep us all up." Magdalene scooted over until her back was almost off the edge of the bed, "Come on Tim, darling, you can come and join us."

Tim scooted forward and climbed into bed beside Magdalene even as Gisborn got out and hastily moved to his trunk. He pulled out a nightshirt then returned, scowling and mumbling to himself the whole way. When he got back into bed, he turned his back on his "wife" and "son" and nursed his rejected arousal by sulking.

"Thank you." Magdalene whispered into Tim's ear so only he could hear.

Tim looked over his shoulder and shrugged, "I really did have a nightmare."

Magdalene looked at him blankly then sighed; wrapping her arms around him and holding him close against her body. She was practically using him as a body shield against Gisborn, and against herself. She'd have to do some deep thinking and reassessing tomorrow morning. There could be no repeat of this night. If there was one...she was sure they'd see it out to the finish. Then that would be the finish of their elaborate plan. And that would be the finish of her heart.


	10. Nighttime Conversations

London, England

"Your majesty."

The Queen Mother looked up from her book and watched as one of her ladies in waiting approached her.

"Yes?" she was tired and wasn't in the mood to be disturbed. "What is it?"

"Your emissaries have returned from Germany."

Eleanor set the book aside, suddenly quite alert and no longer tired. "What did they have to say?"

"I am sorry your majesty," the lady looked exceedingly uncomfortable, "but the Emperor has demanded more money."

Eleanor refrained from cursing. She leaned back into her chair, tired once more. At this rate she'd never earn Richard's freedom and John would continue to rebel against his own brother and king. Everything she'd strived for was coming apart. She rubbed a hand against her head.

"Are you in pain your majesty?" The lady was still there, hovering nearby.

"I am fine. Bring me some wine." She waved the woman away, grateful for the silence when she was gone.

She glanced out the window at the night sky. She still had one trick up her sleeve so not all was lost. She just hoped that her "trick" wouldn't get caught any time soon. She couldn't afford it, and neither could her eldest son.

Nottingham Castle

"Sheriff," Isabella looked up from her meal as her commander came into the hall, "another messenger has arrived."

She immediately stood and approached as the haggard looking messenger came into the hall. He held out a parchment and she grabbed it. As she read over it her face changed. A smirk fell onto her lips and her shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Tell your master that all will be ready for his return." She handed him a silver coin for his trouble and watched as he hurried back out the door.

Things were starting to shape up quite nicely and she could almost taste the demise of her enemies.

Sherwood Homestead

Gavin woke with a start when something landed square in his face. He groaned as he reached up and thrust the offending object away. Seconds later another object landed across his stomach and his breath whooshed out in surprise. Was he under attack? Gavin raised his head and studied the new object he still held in his hands. It was a small leg. He traced it back to its origin and sighed. Tim obviously was not a polite sleeper. He'd already turned over and tossed his arm over Magdalene's form, earning a grunt of displeasure from his "wife" before she tossed the arm off.

"You awake?" He mumbled over the rustling form of Tim.

Magdalene groaned before turning over to face him, "Sadly, yes."

Tim rolled over and buried himself under Gavin's pillow, mumbling something about chickens. Gavin looked over his "son's" sleeping form to his "wife." She looked both frustrated and amused at the same time. She smiled first at the back of Tim's head then at him. For some odd reason, Gavin felt his heart melt at the sight of her sleep tussled hair, sleepy smile, and sleepy stare. She was adorable, and he was hooked.

"Does he always sleep like this?" Gavin looked back down to Tim when he shifted again, this time closer to Gavin's warmth.

Magdalene nodded, "Only after his nightmares. Usually he just talks in his sleep but for some reason whenever he has a nightmare he tosses and turns as well as talks." Magdalene shrugged before reaching out and stroking the back of Tim's head. "They started a few weeks after our-my mother died." Gavin raised his eyebrows and Magdalene blushed, "Ben had troubles after she died as well but Tim is the one who's suffered the most. Marcus became more of a know-it-all, trying to fix everything, Ben became more withdrawn, and Tim started having these nightmares."

"So your mother was apparently really important to our children." Gavin stated, watching his "wife" carefully for her reaction.

Magdalene nodded, "She took care of all of us really. You and I haven't had the easiest of marriages. You being the way you were and me not helping matters because of my own stubbornness and pride," Gavin was surprised she even admitted that she was at fault as well as he but said nothing, "She was always there to help out whenever I was too upset to make the meals or take care of the children. She was always there to soothe your temper and help me forgive you for whatever you did to make me mad." Magdalene smiled softly, "She was always there..." Her smile fell, "Until one day she just wasn't anymore."

Gavin felt the urge to gather her into his arms to comfort her but couldn't. Not only because of Tim's sleeping body between them, but also because he just couldn't. Already he felt that he'd gone too far with her before Tim came in. He didn't know her, didn't know if he didn't know her, and didn't feel that he should be so intimate emotionally with her until he knew more. Maybe he'd always been so guarded...

"Where was I?" Gavin inquired after a moment of tense silence.

"You were gone to town when she died and couldn't get back for a few days because of the weather." Magdalene quickly added, "By the time you came back Ben had already helped me bury her in the woods across the river. She never wanted to be buried in a church yard, especially after we came to live here. She always thought that nature would be more restful to her soul than some churchyard." Magdalene chuckled, "My mother was always odd in her opinions that way."

Gavin smiled, "I think that you're not that different in that regard."

Magdalene looked at him silently for a moment before she smiled and nodded. Gavin studied her, trying to recall her face in his clouded mind. He tried to recall any part of her but couldn't. He hadn't remembered the feel or taste of her when they'd been so close hours before. He didn't remember his children, he didn't remember this place. Maybe it was because it was too close to the accident to remember, or maybe it was because he'd never been here before. Gavin felt guilty for suspecting Magdalene of foul play, and he couldn't help but somehow wish that he would remember her, but so far it was all a blank.

"Do you remember anything more?" Magdalene's voice broke his train of thought and he turned back to her with a frown.

"No, I don't. I only know what I don't remember, which is just about everything."

Magdalene nodded, "I'm sorry. Maybe the more you work with the boys the more you'll recall."

Gavin nodded, though he frowned at the thought. He wasn't comfortable working with the boys. He did know that he wasn't as good as he brother in law or sons at the daily work of the farm. However, she did have something there. Maybe the more he worked with them the more he'd remember what he wasn't good at and what he was good at.

"We should try and get some rest," He reached over Tim and stroked her shoulder for a moment before lying on his back again, "We both have a long day tomorrow."

He felt Magdalene shift before she whispered, "Sweet dreams."

Gavin smiled, knowing that he'd dream of her.


	11. Sudden Appearances and an Apology

Magdalene was awake before either Tim or Gisborn. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of Tim tucked around Gisborn's sleeping form with Gisborn's arm throw protectively over the boy. They almost looked like the real deal, a real father with his son. But then reality came back and she remembered that Gisborn was the source of their problems and she mentally growled as she dressed and quietly left the room.

She tip-toed through the common room and went outside. There were morning chores to be done instead of sitting around brooding over the frustrations Gisborn brought with his presence in her life. Magdalene was just finishing with the milking when suddenly a ragged looking urchin dropped to the ground just outside the small barn.

"What in the-" Magdalene rushed forward and quickly rolled the figure over. "Ashley?"

The smaller woman smiled, "Dia dhuit cousin." She allowed Magdalene to help her into a sitting position, "Conás átá tú?"

"Apparently I'm doing better than you. What happened to you? When did you get back?" Magdalene wrinkled her nose. "Wait…I probably don't want to know details do I?"

"Well I don't want to have to kill you, so no you don't want to know details." Ashley wrapped an arm around Magdalene's shoulders and stood with her help. "I can tell you that I'm not a huge fan of the local band of thieves in these parts."

Magdalene kicked the front door open, "Robin and his gang did this to you?"

Their movements awakened Ben and Marcus who groggily turned over to see what was going on. When they saw the new figure they both bounded out of bed in excitement.

"Cousin Ashley!" Marcus rushed up to her as Magdalene helped her sit. "When did you get back? Where have you been? Did you bring us any presents?"

"Marcus." Ben smacked his brother in the back of the head. "Can't you see that she's injured and is obviously not bogged down with packages for us?" He glanced outside, "Where's your horse?"

Ashley smirked, "I see why I'm loved around here." She reached out and ruffled Marcus' head. "Um well my horse is probably still with Robin Hood." Ben raised an eyebrow but Ashley waved away his question as she glanced around the room. "Where's Tim?"

Magdalene tensed as she set the mug of tea in front of Ashley. Well, this was going to be awkward. She turned to her brothers, "Ben go and finish the morning chores. Marcus you help your brother."

"But-" Marcus was pulled back to their cots by Ben before he could protest further.

Magdalene waited until they trudged outside before she sat down with a bowl of warm water and set about cleaning Ashley.

"Um you do know that I have two hands of my own right?" Ashley let Maggie work, knowing that her cousin needed to be "busy" in order to talk.

"I'm going to tell you a story and I need you to listen carefully without interrupting me or getting loud." Maggie paused in her ministrations until Ashley shrugged and nodded. "Once upon a time-"

"Seriously? You have to start with that?"

"Ashley." Maggie glared at her cousin until Ashley made a locking motion over her lips and fell silent again. "There was an arrogant rather evil man who caused great pain in a noble family. He wreaked havoc in the surrounding countryside and worked for an even more evil and corrupt man."

"Funny this is starting to sound like a guy I once knew-"

"Ashley." Maggie growled again and again Ashley smiled sheepishly before falling silent. "In any case, the gods decided to punish this man and so they struck his memories from him and put him in the care of the noble family he'd once wronged. This noble family decided to start a new life for the man in hopes that through this new life he would learn how to be human and noble like they were."

"Maggie-"

Ashley was cut off as the door to Maggie's room opened and Gisborn stepped out with a groggy looking Tim close behind. Ashley's mouth fell open even as Gisborn frowned at the sight of Maggie caring to what looked to be another man. Tim's eye lit up and he launched himself at Ashley his mouth opening in greeting. Maggie's eyes widened and she reacted before she fully thought things through. With a speed she rarely employed she stood up and scooped Tim into her arms, clamping her hand over his mouth, afraid of what he might say in his excitement.

"Ashley's a man right now." She quickly whispered into his ear before she plopped his down in Ashley's lap, plastering a smile on her face as she turned towards Gisborn.

"Cousin Ash has come to visit. He met with some difficulty on his way here though. Seems that there are some thugs roaming the forest right now and Ash was taken by surprise." Maggie was still smiling at Gisborn, doing her best to not look as nervous as she felt.

Gisborn raised his eyebrows as he stared at the slight looking man. Ashley raised her eyebrows and stared right back, masking her shock at his presence behind a smirk. So this was the "corrupt man" from the story—and she would have to tell Maggie to work on her storytelling abilities because quite frankly she was not that great. She was also going to have to figure out whether or not she would have to "kill" Gisborn again, because clearly knocking him into a flooded river was not enough to kill him.

"Did you bring me a present?"

Ashley looked down at the near shaking with excitement child sitting in her lap, "Yes and no. Yes I did but no I don't have it."

"Aw." Tim frowned but then he looked over at Gisborn and smiled again. "That's my father."

Ashley looked up at Maggie with another smirk then back to Tim, "Really?" She noticed Maggie tugging at the hem of her gown. "I already knew that Tim."

Gisborn was more than a little confused. It seemed that Maggie was nervous about something, this cousin Ash was acting rather strange also, and Tim was about to explode with excitement. Perhaps he should've woken up later.

"Tim why don't you help cousin Ash get cleaned up, I'm sure you won't mind lending him some of your clothes," she was looking at Gisborn as she spoke, "at least until I can clean his up and mend them a bit."

Tim jumped up, "Come on cousin Ash." He grinned at the name as he tugged at Ashley's hands.

Ashley gave Maggie a quick but pointed stare before she followed Tim outside. Maggie knew she was in for it later but at least Ashley was familiar enough with thinking on her feet to know to go along with whatever Maggie told her. She trusted Tim and the others to fill Ashley in with the rest of the story outside. In the meantime-

"How come you didn't tell me about this cousin of yours?" Gisborn sat down at the table.

Maggie quickly busied herself with readying his breakfast, "He is usually abroad. He is very secretive about his vocation and so we never really know when he'll come around. The two of you have never been the closest of friends, to be quite honest."

"I gathered as much." Gisborn frowned and quickly caught a hold of Maggie's wrist before she could move away again. "What's bothering you this morning?"

Maggie shifted, "I don't really want to talk about it." She actually had no idea what to say or do, Ashley's sudden appearance put her on edge and she'd already been about to fall off the cliff in regards to Gisborn without Ashley's added help.

She tried to pull away but Gisborn jerked his arm and Maggie landed in his lap with an audible gasp. She struggled to stand up but he firmly held her in his lap until she stopped squirming and pointedly looked down at the floor.

"Maggie," he tipped her chin so she would look at him, "have I hurt you?" Magdalene looked at him oddly and he sighed, "I mean in the past, have I hurt you?"

Magdalene looked away and stared at the floor of the house. Should she tell him the truth? Her emotions were so raw right now she foresaw herself confessing every thing to him, but she knew she couldn't do that, at least not yet. How many lies was she going to have to tell in order to "help" him change and "help" her get revenge? Was it worth it in the end? Was it worth her heart softening towards this man who'd caused so much pain and who would more than likely leave them when this was over?

Gisborn didn't want to hurry her or press her and yet he felt the need to know the truth from her. He wanted to know if he'd been the cause of any of her pain. The night before, he'd pushed things too far. Though she claimed to be his wife, he felt guilty for what he'd done because he didn't see her as his true wife, at least not yet. He had affection for her, that much was true, but beyond that…he didn't feel that he'd had the right to push things like he had.

Perhaps that was why she was so nervous this morning and that was probably why he suddenly felt the need to know this. He knew knowing wouldn't change anything, but then he could start to make things right...well at least he could start trying to.

"Yes." Her voice was soft when she finally spoke but he still heard her, "Yes, you've hurt all of us." She again looked down at the floor. "You've manipulated us, abused us, rejected us, and confused us. You've been cold and thoughtless, arrogant and unfeeling. A man in name only, you've been less than a man should be, and less than noble and honorable."

Gavin grimaced before he nodded, saying nothing for the moment. He supposed he should appreciate her honesty with him, even if it didn't reflect well on his previous behavior. She didn't shy away from the question or the answer and he did admire her strength of character.

"I'm sorry." He said, truth and meaning in his words. "For everything, Maggie, I'm sorry."

Magdalene looked up so suddenly that Gavin was surprised her head didn't twist off her shoulders. Her eyes were wide with surprise and disbelief. Gavin shook his head as he reached out and stroked her cheek with his fingertips. Oh Maggie. How much pain had he caused her for her to look at him with such disbelief?

"I truly am sorry Maggie. I know that won't change matters any, but I thought you deserved to know that I am very sorry for any pain I've caused you." He hugged her closer, lowering his head and resting it in the crook of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. "I don't want to hurt you again."

Magdalene didn't say anything, nor did she move. She was too shocked, too awed. Yes, he was right, it didn't change anything, and yet...her heart suddenly felt a little lighter. She never thought that an apology would help the pain and yet it did. Maybe there was something to the Bible when it said forgive and forget. Either way, Magdalene suddenly felt tears burning her eyes. They weren't tears of pain though, they were tears of joy. She hugged Gisborn to her, moving her hands up to grasp his neck.

"Thank you," she whispered against his neck, "Thank you so much."

They sat like that for a few moments longer, neither one really aware of what was going on outside at that very moment.


	12. Accidental Happenings

"What the hell?" Ashley erupted as she stared in shock at her three young cousins. "Where is her mind at? Doesn't she know this is just going to blow up in her face? There are too many unstable factors to keep this farce going."

After a moment of silence during which they each in turn sheepishly kicked at the groud, Ashley saw the truth in her cousin's eyes and growled. "I can't believe she's been so stupid! She's usually the careful planner; I'm the one who's supposed to act impulsively." She pulled the clean tunic over her shoulders then sat down and went about re-lacing her boots. It was in fact her impulsive attack days before that had created this situation. "Amadán!"

"Calling her an idiot in Gaelic is just as insulting as using English." Ben commented dryly as he gathered up her discarded clothing.

Ashley smiled, he of course didn't know that she was as big an idiot as her cousin. "I see Maggie hasn't neglected to teach you guys the language of your ancestors. You know, I still don't know why you lot don't just go over to our estate in Ireland instead of living in this poverty."

"Maggie says this is what mother would want." Marcus tossed a rock into river.

"She thinks your mother would want you guys to be living a life of struggle in this cursed place instead of a life of ease as the direct descendants of lords of old in the blessed land of Ireland?" Ashley shook her head. "That woman is daft I tell you."

"Be that as it may," Ben glared at his cousin, "you need to promise to go along with this for as long as Maggie sees fit."

"Whatever." Ashley crossed her heart with her fingers. "Just don't think I'm going to welcome that páiste gréine with open arms."

Tim giggled, "Calling him bastard in Gaelic won't keep me from hearing you curse Ashley."

Ashley reached over and ruffled his hair. "I'm going to need you to help me make his life miserable."

"Oh Tim's already been doing a grand job of that. Talks his ear off, shadows him every where he goes, and is as helpful as a fly in honey." Marcus smiled. "I always argue with him and Ben always glares at him."

"Well I'm going to do a whole hell of a lot more than just glare or talk to him. I have every intention of causing subtle bodily harm." Ashley rubbed her hands together in evil glee. "What's on the agenda for today anyway?"

"Gisborn thought it a good idea to build on another room to the cottage." Ben shrugged. "I admit that isn't a bad idea, though I wish it had come from someone other than him."

"Perfect!" Ashley smiled. "A building project is just the place for all sorts of 'accidents' to happen." Maybe she could kill him "again" after all.

The boys all shared concerned yet amused glances before the group of them returned to the cottage for the morning meal. The meal passed in an awkward sort of way, what with Ashley making derogatory comments about Gisborn at every chance she could get and Tim mimicking her lead. Maggie had to kick her cousin underneath the table a few times to get her to shut up, but of course being the person that she was, Ashley just took that as encouragement. By the time the boys and Ashley filed out the door Maggie was afraid Gisborn was about ready to explode. However she was surprised to find him looking rather relaxed as he laced up his boots.

When he stood and moved towards the door she called out, "Stay safe out there; you never know what could happen."

Gisborn nodded, with a serious expression marring his handsome features.

"What's wrong?"

Gisborn turned to her, studied her a moment, before he was suddenly in front of her, his body pressing hers against the edge of the table. She opened her mouth in questioning surprise before he took advantage of this, kissing her soundly with his tongue thrusting itself into her mouth in dominance. She was too shocked to protest when she felt his fingers pressing into her hips, holding her fast against him. His assault was deep and thorough, and Magdalene was annoyed that she wasn't more bothered by it. She was even more annoyed to find that she was enjoying it.

When he finally pulled away for air, something they both desperately needed, Magdalene's eyes were wide. Gisborn lifted one of his hands to run his thumb over her swollen lower lip, a hint of a smile on his face. He kissed her softly and briefly one more time before he turned and strolled out the door, leaving a very confused and frustrated Magdalene in his wake.

Ashley growled to herself. She'd been witness to that assault and was not at all happy about it. She felt it her "Christian" duty now to make Gisborn's life absolutely miserable, if not out rightly kill him. She smiled to herself. She would enjoy this.

Hours later, Gavin continued to strain his back as he helped Ben lift the heavy log onto the cutting board. He was hot, sweaty, and exhausted. He had multiple cuts and bruises from multiple little mishaps—compliments of that rascal Ash—and he was very much not happy. Not even the memory of kissing Magdalene senseless helped him cope with his pain and exhaustion. Never again would he turn his nose up at farmers. They worked just as hard as any soldier; they were just fighting a different type of war.

Gavin stopped his movements and watched the others silently. Why did he just compare farmers to soldiers? He shook his head as he pondered the thought more and more, feeling like he was onto something, but not knowing what. He continued to seek out answers when suddenly a noise from overhead caught his attention.

"Hey!" Gavin looked up just in time to intercept a small block of wood with his forehead. "I'm sorry, heads up." Ash gave him a polite smile before scrambling back up the scaffolding they'd built.

Gavin looked down at Tim, wondering if the boy would mind if he murdered his cousin. Maggie had mentioned that he'd never gotten along well with the little imp but this was borderline ridiculous. At every turn Ash would "accidentally" drop things on him from above, throw things at him, or trip him. Of course, the little devil would apologize each and every time so Gavin had no "right" to admonish the whelp, at least not in front of his sons and his brother-in-law. But given the chance he would very much like to beat the ever living life out of that mischievous goblin of a man.

Nearby in the Sherwood

"Robin!" Little John and Much came to a stop at the edge of the camp. "We found him."

Robin nodded, "Where was he?"

"He's found refuge in a homestead down the river a ways. It looks like he knows the family there." Little John bent down to catch his breath. "We only saw three young boys with him at the rivers edge."

"We'll wait for night time then we'll go retrieve our wayward guest."

Much held up his hand, "There's more Robin." He gasped in some much needed air before he continued. "Gisborn is there too."

Robin jumped to his feet, Kate and Tuck following his movements. He saw red for a moment then closed his eyes to regain composure. Finally his nemesis was found.

"What's odd though, Robin, is that he was helping them build a cottage." Little John held up his hands in confusion. "I don't know Robin, he was acting strange."

Robin frowned. Was this a new undercover ploy? They would have to be extremely cautious with whatever they did. Even though Gisborn had betrayed Prince John and was not a hunted man he was still a force to be reckoned with.

"We'll still move in tonight. Allan, you and Tuck go with Little John and scout out the area some more. Much, Kate, you stay with me and keep an eye on our other guests. We'll have Gisborn and that other one with us tonight." His voice and eyes hardened at the thought.

The Road to Nottingham

"Have the forces all been gathered?"

"Yes Sheriff."

"Ready the men, we set out at first light."

"Yes Sheriff."

The "dead" man smiled. Soon he would again be in control of Nottingham, his enemies would be dead, and he could sleep peacefully again. Vasey picked at his teeth with a sharp chicken bone. Yes, revenge was a dish best served cold.


	13. A Sudden Change

Sherwood Homestead

"No you can't murder Ash." Maggie did her best to not smile as she watched Gisborn pace back and forth in the common room. "I did warn you that the two of you never got along."

"Maggie, I swear that whelp is trying to kill me. At every chance he drops things on my head, throws things at me, or he trips me. I can't even begin to count the number of cuts and bruises that man has given me today!"

Maggie covered her mouth until her smile died away, "You do know that you sound like a child right now right?"

"Maggie." Gavin sat down across from her. "Can't you talk to him and try to reason with him? I'm afraid I'll end up strangling him if I ever get him alone long enough to converse with him."

Maggie ducked her head to hide her smile. She should've known Ashley would do stuff like this. She'd always had it in for Gisborn, ever since they'd first met him all those years ago. Then with what had happened to their family she'd just developed an even deeper hatred for the man than Maggie thought even she held. Although it had been her mother and father that had died, it had been Ashley's beloved aunt and uncle. Ashley most definitely took after the Irish side of their family in her behavior.

"Gavin, all I can say is perhaps you should see this as a test. Ash was never in favor of our marriage and since he's not been around to see you change, all he remembers is the man you used to be. Don't give in to the temptation to fall back on the old habits of violence to solve your anger issues." Maggie reached out and patted his arm reassuringly. "Just make sure you talk to me before you do anything drastic."

Suddenly the door flew open and Marcus stood there with wide eyes, "Tim-fell-in-the-water-Ashley's-fishing-him-out."

He spoke in such a rush that it took a moment before the words sunk in. However once they were comprehended by the two, Gavin rushed out and ran down to the river's edge. He felt his stomach plummet when he saw Tim's small body being hauled onto the sandy riverbank. He sank to his knees beside the boy, watching in shock as Ashley checked for signs of life.

Gavin felt sluggish, as if he was seeing and hearing everything through a tunnel; he felt far way and distant from all of it. Then suddenly, something took over and he was acting without thought. He suddenly surged forward, brushing past Ash, and started pushing on Tim's stomach, trying to get any water out of the boy's stomach. He rolled him over and pounded on his back, rubbing in circles before pounding more. He pumped Tim's legs up into his torso multiple times. He smacked the boys face, rubbing his arms and legs, doing things that he didn't know he knew how to do.

He only stopped when Tim gasped and coughed, water spewing out of his mouth. Ash helped him roll the boy over on his side so the water could drain out without much trouble. Now that Tim was breathing better and awake, Gavin felt himself coming back to the insecurity he'd always felt before.

"How did you do that?" Marcus hovered over his shoulder, looking at him with a mixture of awe and uncertainty.

Gavin shook his head, "I don't know. I saw Tim lying there and suddenly I knew what to do." He shrugged, "I felt like I was someone else for a moment, like my mind and body were finally talking to one another clearly and I knew who I was."

He looked back down to Tim then sighed. He pushed Ash's hands away so he could pick the boy up. The four of them quickly made their way back to the house. Ashley held back a bit, uncertain of what exactly had happened. She was surprised that Gisborn had done such a thing. Now, because of such, she knew she'd have to reevaluate her thoughts on the man. She didn't like it when she had to reevaluate things, but it would be required now that Gisborn had showed signs of humanity.

When they came inside, Gavin watched Magdalene's face pale and her jaw clench. She didn't scream or cry like he thought she would. She instead pulled out Tim's nightshirt, pulled down the covers of his bed, helped Marcus undress then redress Tim. She then went and warmed up a brick to put at the bottom of his bed.

Gavin stepped back and watched her as she went about her work, silently and efficiently. Ash instructed Ben and Marcus, doing what she could to keep them out of Maggie's way. By the time everything was settled and Marcus, Ash, and Ben had gone back outside to take continue the building project, Gavin was awed by the woman who stood at the fire before him.

"Maggie." He spoke softly as he came up beside her.

She didn't look up from her work and said nothing. Gavin moved closer and was surprised to see her hands shaking. He touched her shoulder lightly and was again surprised when she suddenly turned into his arms and started to silently cry. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and soothingly rubbed his hands up and down her back, not knowing what to say.

He sat down on the stool by the hearth and leaned against the stones, pulling her into his lap. She continued to cry for a few moments longer, though she made very little noise. Gavin just rocked her gently, making shushing noises in her ear as his hand stroked the hair away from her face. Once she stopped crying she still sat there, holding onto him as if he were her anchor.

Gavin felt a strange panic building inside him but suppressed it. This was the first time Magdalene had ever completely opened herself to him emotionally and that both frightened and elated him. Though, now that she wasn't crying, he knew she would start speaking, and he was nervous about what he was supposed to say.

"What happened?" Magdalene's voice was husky from crying.

Gavin quickly related the story and sighed when he felt her nod against his chest but said nothing more. They continued to sit there in uncomfortable silence a few minutes longer before Magdalene started to speak again.

"When I saw you holding him...I remembered the day they brought my father to my mother." He could hear the strain in her voice and knew she was fighting tears. "He was already dead by the time they'd gotten him to her but that didn't ease the blow. She didn't wail or scream. She just crumpled. Fell onto his corpse like a broken flower. I'd never seen her do something like that before. It scared me." She turned her face into the fabric of his tunic, growing silent.

Gavin continued to stroke her back, waiting for her to continue.

"She held onto him for hours, not saying anything, not even moving. She didn't even look at us. I was the one who had to tell the others what happened, I was the one who had to deal with the anger and tears." Magdalene sniffed and looked up at him, "My mother was like that for days after we buried my father. She didn't come out of it until Ben fell from the barn and broke his arm. When the hired help carried him in, bloody and crying, she seemed to finally come out of herself." Magdalene smiled slightly, "Ben and I agree that his injury was a blessing from God in disguise. Who knows how long our mother would've been that way if he hadn't shocked her back to reality."

Gavin nodded and brushed away the remaining tears. Her eyes were red and puffy, her nose red, her cheeks tear-stained, and yet he still found her beautiful. His heart ached for the pain of her past and that bothered him. For some reason he got the feeling that he'd never cared about anyone's pain but his own before this. He felt like a fish drowning in air. She was reaching for him, connecting with him, and he wanted to reach out to her and run away at the same time.

"From then on she made herself available at all times?" Magdalene nodded at his question and Gavin smiled, "I guess she wanted to make up for lost time."

Magdalene nodded again, her eyes resting in her lap. Gavin shifted her weight to a more comfortable position. He liked holding her like this, having her open to him this way. It felt nice, it felt...it felt like it should be this way, and yet it felt new and odd. The more Gavin thought about it the more he felt that he'd never held a woman this way before, never been so emotionally open with a woman like this. Never really had a woman open to him, at least not without him hurting her. He remembered Magdalene's assessment of his character before the accident and he cringed. She said he'd hurt her. Was that why she was so distant most of the time? Why she would be warm towards him then suddenly pull away as if she suddenly remembered something terrible in regards to him?

They continued to hold each other until both of their minds started thinking outside the situation. Gavin starting thinking more about his uncertainty of his relationships and memories and Magdalene started thinking about how awful her plan and her lies seemed now. Because of these thoughts, neither felt especially willing to continue the embrace.

Magdalene broke away and busied herself with preparing the evening meal while Gavin left the house to continue helping the others with the building project. Both knew that something had changed between them in those soft moments before, but neither wanted to address it or admit to it.


	14. Coming to Terms and Captured

They worked until late in the evening and then all filed in for the evening meal. Ash kept silent for most of the meal, though Gavin knew he watched him carefully. For her part, Ashley was wrapped up in her own thoughts about the man sitting across from her. Perhaps Maggie's plan was working and he had become a changed person. In any case she felt the need to apologize—and she dearly hated apologizing. She waited until they were done with the meal before she prompted the larger man to follow her outside. She gave Maggie a nod to set her cousin at ease before she walked out the door.

Somehow they found their way down to the river's edge where they stood in awkward silence for a few moments before Ashley grudgingly began to speak.

"I wanted to apologize for my actions earlier today. In light of your actions this afternoon, I feel the need to reassess my earlier perception of you." She turned towards him and gave him a dark scowl. "That isn't to say that I don't still hate you and that I won't still be waiting for you to mess up so I can cause you serious harm, but I at least acknowledge that you've changed from the man I once knew you as and because of such I will give you more leeway."

Gavin snorted, "So you won't continue to try to 'accidentally' kill me at every opportunity you get?"

She tensed, briefly wondering if he remembered her causing his "accidental" river swim. But then, as she continued to observe him, she knew he only referred to her actions earlier that day.

"Well," Ashley smiled as she turned to go back towards the cottage, "we'll have to wait and see about that."

She was still smiling as she made her way towards the cottage, leaving Gisborn to stew over their exchange. She was almost to the barn when suddenly, yet again, she was hit upside the head with a heavy object. Only one person had managed to take her by surprise like that before and she was fairly certain it was the same bastard.

"Damn it." She muttered as she crumpled to the ground. "Not again…" a pair of boots came into her line of vision seconds before darkness again came up to greet her.

Gisborn turned towards the sounds of struggle up the path and was just about to move towards it when he too was hit in the head and he too fell to the ground unconscious.

"Why do you suppose he's dressed like a peasant?" Allan questioned as he quickly pushed Gisborn onto his back, effectively tying both his wrists and ankles together as Little John, with the slight man tossed over his shoulder, and Tuck stood by.

John snorted, "Does this madman need a rhyme or reason to anything he does? He said he adored and worshiped Marian and yet he's the one who-"

John stopped and looked down at his feet, all of them knowing the end of that sentence. They supposed it had been luck that they'd even managed to take both Gisborn and the other man by surprise. They'd been too busy discussing, what they could only suppose were dubious plans, to notice the three of them sneaking up on them

"Help me get him out of here before anyone comes by." Allan bent and took hold of Gisborn's shoulders, heaving him to his feet so Kate could help drag him between the two of them. "He's a heavy one."

"You're telling me." Tuck growled as they quickly, and as quietly as possible, disappeared back into the forest, leaving only indentations on the ground as evidence of their presence. They didn't seem to notice a pair of eyes watching them from near the shed.

When he was sure they were gone, Marcus turned and took off towards the house.

When he burst into the house he yelled, "Gisborn and Ashley are gone!"

Ben jerked up from his plate of food, "What do you mean gone? Did he run off and Ashley after him?"

Marcus shook his head and Magdalene continued the line of questioning, "Well then how are they gone? Did you see which way they went?"

Marcus took the cup of water his sister offered him and guzzled it down, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve before he spoke again. "I don't know who exactly it was, I only got a glimpse of one of them, but someone attacked both Gisborn and Ashley and took them away."

Ben swore and leaned back in his chair. Magdalene felt the color drain from her face in both fear and surprise. Had Robin discovered Ashley's whereabouts and in the process discovered Gisborn? Was he still alive? Would they kill him? Magdalene frowned at her worry then started thinking on another train of thought.

"It was probably Robin who took them. Ashley did say that she'd been attacked on her way through the forest. It's the only thing that would make sense." She commented.

"But why would Robin take Gisborn too? I know they hate each other but still-" Marcus trailed off.

"I think I know why." They turned towards Ben as he spoke gravely, "I didn't mention this before but I think it may be a reason why they took Gisborn. I heard that Gisborn betrayed the Sheriff and killed him and has now betrayed Prince John."

Magdalene closed her eyes, trying to block out the reality of Gisborn. Why oh why did he have to be such a monster and yet so gentle with her? Was there any hope in changing him? Or would he forever be the monster that killed without mercy, tortured and mistreated those beneath him, and overlooked the needs of those around him? Magdalene slumped down in her chair and drummed her fingers against the table.

"What're we going to do?" Marcus sat down beside her, his eyes wide with excitement. "We have to help Ashley."

Magdalene looked over her shoulder at the still sleeping Tim. They couldn't very well leave him alone, not in the state he was in. They also didn't have any weapons beyond the two bows they'd managed to make and the daggers they'd confiscated from Gisborn. They had a few scraping and skinning knives but still it wouldn't be of much use against a group of trained men.

"Are we just going to let them have him?" Ben asked this, his face serious and grave. "I know we need to somehow get Ashley, but what about Gisborn?"

Magdalene sighed and closed her eyes. They could leave him with them, letting them give him the justice they felt he deserved—which would more than likely be death. That would keep him out of their hair and protect them from any future problems if the Sheriff or any officials came around looking for him. That would also stop her heart from warming towards him and confusing the hell out of her logic and reasoning abilities.

"Don't get me wrong, Gisborn's an ass," Magdalene glared at Marcus for his language but he merely continued, "but over the past few days, I've kind of warmed up to him. I mean he is a horrible carpenter and farmer but he did help out. He also listened to me and actually gave me some advice on a few more personal matters." Marcus blushed and Magdalene knew that the more personal matters probably pertained to growing up and becoming a man. "He also didn't blow up at Ashley even when she tortured him, and he helped save Tim."

"He listened and talked to me as well on a few matters," Ben spoke up though he didn't look up from his plate, "and I'm sure he'd be of use around the place if he applied himself in areas he was used to. For instance I'm sure he'd remember how to fight in a similar way he remembered how to help Tim," he waved his hand towards Tim's slender form, "he could teach us boys how to fight and you how to protect yourself."

Marcus eagerly nodded his agreement. Magdalene looked from one brother to the other, surprise on her face. Her brothers wanted Gisborn back? They continued to talk, telling her they'd teach him how to work around the farm so he wouldn't be so useless. They spoke of how having him around would be a nice change, as much as they loved her sometimes they wished they had a male figure to look up to—though Magdalene wondered if Gisborn was their best choice in "role model" material.

"Okay okay!" She raised her hands so her brothers would stop talking.

"Magdalene." They all three turned when they heard Tim's raspy voice.

Magdalene rose and went to his side, helping him with a sip of water as she soothed the hair out of his face. When he drew back from the mug and closed his eyes for a moment Magdalene set the cup aside and leaned close.

"He'd be good for you too." Tim spoke again and Magdalene's eyes widened in surprise.

Ben and Marcus both nodded their heads and Magdalene could only look at her brothers in shock. Now they were trying to match make? They were choosing Gisborn as a possible mate for her? Either they had high hopes that he'd change for the better or they had low opinions on her ever getting a suitable husband.

"Okay, you three have stated your opinions quite well, now how do you propose we get them?" She sat back on her haunches and stared at their blank faces. "Seriously, this is Robin Hood we're talking about. I don't think if we walk into his camp asking for Gisborn and Ashley that he'll give them to us, especially if we don't have any money to bargain with. There's no way we could fight them off, again especially not if Robin's as good a fighter as they all say he is. Ben you're good but do you honestly think you could go up against Robin?"

Ben looked down at his plate again. Magdalene turned to Marcus. "You're good with the skinning knives but do you think they would hold up against their swords?" Marcus looked away.

Magdalene sighed and stood up, pacing beside the table. She chewed her lower lip in thought, knowing her brothers were wracking their minds for options as well.

"We could always ask him for the right to punish Gisborn." Marcus looked back to Magdalene as he spoke. "We could tell Robin about our past history with Gisborn. That would give us prior claim to him, if you want to look at it that way."

Ben nodded, liking the idea already. It did make sense, but it would only work if Robin complied. They would have to have a plan b.

"We could also tell them that we have informed the Sheriff of Gisborn's whereabouts and that his men are close behind us, waiting for us to contact them further." Tim caught their attention with his surprising logic. "I know its bluffing but it could work."

They all nodded and Magdalene sighed. If Robin was very vindictive he would kill Gisborn right away. However, it was difficult to track at night. They all knew how, after all these years of hunting on their own, though her brothers were much better at it than she was. They could do it, but it would be very difficult and leave them in a vulnerable position if they happened upon Hood's men too suddenly.

"We'll leave at first light." She held up her hand when her brothers looked ready to protest. "Tim still needs to recover, nighttime is too risky to track, and we need to make sure our knives are sharp in case we need to use them."

Tim muttered something about a mothering sister while Ben nodded and immediately left to retrieve his arrows to double check them, while Marcus frowned on his way to get his knives. Magdalene moved to her room where she brought out Gisborn's daggers. She looked at the bed, standing there for a silent moment, before she squared her shoulders and moved to join her brothers.


	15. The Truth Does Not Set Him Free

Outlaw's Camp

"You bastard!" Ashley fought against the ropes. "My head is killing me! When I get out of here you're going to pay double, you overgrown ogre!"

Little John grunted in reply as he continued to sit by the fire. Ashley glared at the back of his head before going back to her own struggles for freedom. She was viciously angry that yet again this oaf had managed to take her by surprise. It was probably due to the fact that his staff was rather long; he could attack from far enough away so she couldn't have time to hear him. In any case, he was in for a sound thrashing once she was free.

"Ashley." She turned to look at Sir Bradley, not at all surprised to see that he and the others were still prisoners. "We haven't told them anything."

She rolled her eyes, "That's a real comfort Bradley considering we're still their prisoners. Why don't you try to get free instead of just sitting there accepting this?"

She looked back towards the others when they dropped the form of Gisborn by the fire. He was still unconscious, no doubt they'd hit him a bit harder than they'd hit her.

"We cannot just kill him without first finding out what he was doing there." She heard Tuck. "He may have done a great number of evils but he still deserves justice."

She saw that Robin didn't nod. In fact, he didn't move his eyes from the vulnerable form at his feet. Was it luck or fate that brought his nemesis to his feet like this? What had he done to please whomever to have this happen? He bent down and turned Guy's head to the side, checking to see if he even breathed. Raspy and uneven, Guy still breathed, though he looked paler than what was considered healthy.

"Why don't you just kill him?" Ashley growled out, earning a glare from Robin and the woman called Kate. "He's lying helpless at your feet, here's your big chance to be a hero."

Robin came over to kneel before her, "You still haven't told me what you're business in these parts is." He poked her shoulder. "Are you working with Gisborn? Is that why you were both at that homestead?"

Instead of answering his question she diverted his attention. "You're so narrow-minded to think that killing Gisborn will solve anything." Ashley rolled her eyes at him.

He seized her chin and turned her head so she was looking at Gisborn. "That man killed my wife! You don't think he deserves death in return?"

Ashley jerked her head out of his hands and glared at him. She'd known about their mission to the Holy Land, Richard had told her about it the last time she'd seen him. However, she'd been unaware of the death of Lady Marian. Ashley growled to herself. Yet again she would have to reevaluate her thoughts on Gisborn. Why did this have to keep happening, it was so inconvenient.

"If we aren't going to kill him what are we going to do with him?" Little John pointed his staff at the still unconscious Guy.

Robin continued to stare at the slight man in front of him as he spoke, "Tie him up."

Kate was all too eager to do his bidding, making sure to tie the knots were much tighter than needed so the ropes chafed against Guy's skin if he moved. Tuck shook his head at the woman but said nothing as he bent to examine the man. There was a knot on the back of his head, though it didn't bleed, and it looked that there were old cuts and bruises along his arms and neck.

"Robin it looks like he's been in some sort of skirmish." Tuck pointed out. "Perhaps he wasn't in the area by choice."

Ashley smirked, "I am the reason he's like that and it was no skirmish, at least not an obvious one."

"So you're against him?" Much questioned.

"Yes and no."

"What does that mean?" Kate glared down at her.

"That means that I'm, at the moment, relatively neutral in regards to his either living or dying."

Robin stood up and glared down at her, "Who are you?"

"I am who I am." She smiled up at him. "I have no intention of helping you out, Robin Hood. You've proved yourself to be a ready nuisance in my opinion."

"And you are a thorn in my side." He ground out in reply. "At least tell me your name."

"You can call me Ash."

Allan chuckled, "Like the tree?"

"Yes," Ashley replied, "I'm a very festive person."

"Well Ash, you will tell me what your purpose here is one way or another."

They heard Gisborn moan. All eyes turned towards him.

"I say we kill him." Kate fingered her dagger.

"Kate if we punish him without a trial we are no better than the Sheriff or Prince John." Tuck reprimanded the bloodthirsty woman.

"If a human was the subject of the trial I would agree," she threw an accusatory glare at Guy's form, "but this is not a human, Tuck. He is a monster that has destroyed everything I ever cared for, and I know Robin feels the same."

Tuck looked to Robin and from the dark look on his face Tuck knew that beneath the quiet exterior Robin did feel the same bloodlust that Kate did. Tuck sighed and withdrew to the fire where he stirred the evening meal. He took one of the smaller cups to Guy and waited until the man opened his eyes before he spoke.

"Here, drink this." Tuck pressed the cup to his lips.

Guy drank a few sips before shaking his head as if to clear it. He blinked away the fog that had descended across his brain and took in his surroundings. He didn't see or hear Maggie or the boys and he didn't recognize the men and woman standing before him. He glanced over and saw that Ash was similarly restrained, as were at least four other men beyond her. He shifted but stopped when he realized he was again tied. What was it with him getting tied up? Had he really been that much of a bastard that made everyone want to tie him up after he was knocked unconscious?

"Where am I?" his voice was rough.

"That doesn't matter," one of the men, the leanest, stepped forward, "what were you doing in the forest?"

Guy blinked a few times before he answered, "I live there with my family."

The woman scoffed, "You see? Even now he lies through his teeth! How can you expect us to not punish such a man, Tuck?"

"It's true though." Ash dryly commented. "He has been living there for some time, with his 'family.'" She smiled at the incredulous looks she got from the band of outlaws.

Guy looked to the man named Tuck, the very man who'd offered him soup, hoping that he would shed some light on what was going on. Tuck tipped his head to the side as he observed the confusion and apprehension play across Guy's face. He frowned in response.

"What is the last thing you remember?" he kept his voice even, ignoring the fuming Kate behind him.

Guy took a deep breath and slowly let it out, "One of my sons had had an accident in the river earlier today," he tipped his head to the side as the day played out in his mind, "my wife took care of him while together with my other son, brother-in-law and cousin-in-law here, returned to the building project. Ash and I had just finished talking when we were attacked." He eyed the staff in the large man's hands and frowned, "I will venture that that man and that stick were the culprits."

"You would be correct." Ash growled. "But don't worry; I'm going to thrash him when we get loose."

"Ah so you are his cousin-in-law now?" Robin looked down at Ash who merely smiled back at him. "I see the tale is growing more and more complex as we speak." He turned back to Gisborn. "How long have you been married?"

Gisborn frowned, "I don't know."

"How can you not know?" Much moved closer.

"My wife says I had an accident not too long ago and I hit my head. I haven't been able to remember anything from before the accident."

Tuck suddenly stood and moved to stand beside Robin, "Robin, may I speak with you, in private?"

"Keep an eye on him," Robin spoke to Little John and then turned to Kate, "don't do anything until I come back."

"I'll keep an eye on her." Ash smiled as the others moved off, earning a glare from Kate.

Once they were well enough away from the others Tuck finally spoke. "Robin he really believes what he's saying."

Robin raised his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

"I'd wager that if you went in there and asked him who he was and had him tell us who we are he wouldn't be able to do so. Perhaps he really did have an accident and really can't remember. Maybe that's why Allan couldn't find him the other day. Maybe his horse had slipped into the river."

"What are you trying to say Tuck? That Guy of Gisborn doesn't know who he is or recall all the things he's done?"

Tuck sighed, "It seems that way. He is genuinely confused right now and even you have to admit that by now the Gisborn we all know and loathe would've cursed us to hell and back with more than a few threats by now."

Robin nodded, another scowl marring his face. He looked back towards the hideout, barely making out the shapes of the others. What was he supposed to do with an enemy who didn't even know he was an enemy? And what was the damn connection between the man Ash and Gisborn?

"How about we test your theory?" Robin strode back into the hideout, only stopping when he was right in front of Gisborn. "Who are you?"

Gisborn looked surprised, "Well I figured you knew that considering you were the ones who found it necessary to knock me out and tie me up."

Robin threw Tuck a frustrated scowl. Tuck quickly stepped forward.

"Can you tell us who we are?"

Gisborn sighed, "I wish I could but no I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" Kate erupted. "You don't remember your victims?"

"Kate." Tuck shot her a silencing look.

"I honestly don't know what you are talking about." Gisborn's face looked pained. "I don't remember much of anything beyond a few days ago when I woke up in the home of my wife and children."

Ashley was grateful for the line of questioning, because it took the focus off of her and allowed her the "privacy" to get free again.

"You mean you don't remember killing my brother?" Kate was again on her feet, taunting Gisborn. "You don't remember killing Robin's wife? The woman you claimed to adore!" She kicked dirt into Gisborn's face before either Robin or Tuck could stop her. "You disgust me you pathetic bastard!"

"Kate!" Robin seized her by the shoulders and dragged her away, leaving Tuck with Gisborn.

Gisborn spit out some of the dirt and shook his head to get the rest out of his hair. Tuck picked up the soup and again held it out for Gisborn to drink from. Gisborn, figuring he'd need the strength, allowed the man to feed him. He waited until Tuck went back to the fire before he spoke again.

"Did I do those things?"

Allan snorted, "And much more."

Gisborn sighed and closed his eyes, "My wife told me as much, though she didn't mention specifics. She said that before my accident I was a cold, unfeeling, selfish bastard who let nothing get in the way of political or personal gain."

"That sounds about right." John sat down with his own soup and stared at Gisborn across the fire. "It seems that she failed to mention how you worked as the Sheriff's lackey, doing his every evil bidding, not even blinking when you ripped apart families, be it by death or deception."

"Then I'm a monster." Gisborn felt his stomach churn at the thought of all these atrocities.

Much nodded, "Pretty much."

"Thanks for the reassurance." Gisborn closed his eyes again, trying to remember any of what he'd been told.

"Has your wife told you your name?"

Gisborn's eyes shot open as he stared at Tuck, "Gavin O' Connor?"

"No. It's Guy of Gisborn."

Guy swore under his breath. She had been lying to him all along, but for what purpose?

"Am I married?"

"Not that I'm aware of, and you certainly never struck me as a family man either." Tuck blew on his own soup to cool it off. "I don't know who your 'wife' is but I can only guess that she had some sort of plan for you if she went through such trouble."

He felt pain slice through his body and knew it was the pain of betrayal. He'd come to trust her, he'd come to believe in her, he'd come to…no he didn't love her. How could he love someone he didn't know? He only wanted her physically, and for a time she'd offered comfort, of a sort. But now the truth of her treachery was out and he felt himself start to harden towards her.

He glared over at Ash, only to find him quietly struggling against the bonds. He gave Gisborn a look that said 'keep distracting' and for some reason Gisborn knew that even though this man had helped Maggie betray him he would at least help free Gisborn if he too was freed.

"Before you begin hating her," Tuck didn't look up from the fire and so he didn't see Ash struggling, "perhaps you should wait to hear why she did it."

"A betrayal is a betrayal, no matter the reason." Gisborn growled, still glaring at Ash.

"And you of all people would know that personally." Kate commented as she entered again and sat beside Tuck in a huff. "Serves you right."

"Kate." Robin admonished her like a child, but at the moment she was acting like one and she knew it, as did the others.

"So you don't remember being the slave of the Sheriff?" Kate rolled her eyes at Robin's glare even as she spoke.

Gisborn shook his head, "No, I don't remember any of what you have said."

Robin was suddenly kneeling in front of him, his face shadowed by the fire and torment.

"Can you honestly tell me you don't remember killing Marian?" Robin's voice was ragged and Gisborn winced at the accusations he saw within the man's eyes.

"I don't even remember the face of the woman you speak of." Gisborn spoke softly.

Robin growled and punched the log beside Gisborn's head, "You don't remember killing the woman I loved? My wife?"

"I already told you, I don't remember any of it." Gisborn growled, feeling frustrated at his memory lapse and angry at all the accusations thrown his way. He glanced over and saw that Ash was free and just waiting for the opportune moment. When Robin almost turned towards where Ash was perched Gisborn spoke again. "Have you even thought that maybe she deserved it though?"

Robin let out a roar and would've hit Guy if Tuck hadn't pulled him back.

"Her only crime was loving me and not you! Her only trespass was marrying me and not you!" Robin yelled as he struggled against Tuck. "You killed her for this and only this. You once claimed to love her and in the end you killed her as ruthlessly as you killed her brother." He jerked his head in Kate's direction. "As mercilessly as you the Sheriff and as mercilessly as you tried to kill your own sister."

Gisborn felt bile rise in his throat and he blinked back the bitter tears of confusion and frustration. This was too much too soon! How was he supposed to remember all this? How was he supposed to continue living with all of these burdens on his shoulders? He looked over and saw that Ash was gone.

"Perhaps you're lucky you don't remember any of your crimes." Tuck commented softly.

"What?" Gisborn, Robin, and Kate all spoke at once.

"Perhaps that is what your 'wife' was trying to do."

"Tuck what are you going on about?" Robin disengaged himself from Tuck's hold and sat beside Kate.

"If he showed up at your doorstep with no memory of whom or what he was you could, essentially, tell him he's something he's not and in a way teach him to become that something." Tuck gestured towards Gisborn. "In this case, some woman told him that he was a simple family man and it appears that she was in process of assimilating him into such a life."

Gisborn closed his eyes, seeing blatant truth in Tuck's words. It did make sense. All his doubts and uncertainties made complete sense to him now. He wasn't a good farmer or woodsman because he wasn't a farmer or woodsman. According to these people, whom he seemed to trust at face value more than he had ever trusted Maggie, he was a bloodthirsty soldier. When he opened his eyes again he found Robin glaring at him over the fire.

Accepting the truth he sighed. "She must have seen her options and figured this was the best route."

Robin shook his head, "For all we know she was just lonely and didn't know who he truly was and just saw an opportunity for some easy comfort."

"No," Gisborn sighed, "I think she knew who I was. There were times she would get a look of fear in her eyes-"

"Smart woman." Kate grumbled around her mug. "Or daft."

"I see the logic in her actions, though." Tuck continued, stroking his chin as he spoke. "It is indeed a most peculiar situation."

Gisborn didn't like the sounds of that. Before he could comment, however, the other men he hadn't previously taken notice of attacked. Apparently Ash had freed them as well. With the element of surprise on their hands they managed to disarm and knock out Kate. Little John, Much, Allan, and Tuck occupied them then, while Robin faced off against Ash. Gisborn watched until their dark figures disappeared into the forest, though he could hear the continued sounds of their fighting.

He was helpless. That was something he should've gotten used to by now. Whereas before his hands had been tied with a lack of memory, now he was literally tied because of the truth of his past. He didn't know if he felt relieved about that, or terrified.


	16. Surprise Surprise

Moments Before

Ashley flinched as she felt the familiar, but nevertheless sickening, feeling of her arm snapping out of socket. It was a handy trick to be certain, but never one she enjoyed. With careful rotation, she brought her arms around to make untying her bonds easier. Seconds later freedom was hers and, with everyone's attention focused on Gisborn, she slipped silently into the shadows. There, leaning against a tree, Ashley gave a sharp shove and her arm slipped back into place. She grimaced but ignored the momentary discomfort. There was work to be done now.

While the camp was busy discussing Gisborn and the what's and whys of what to do with him, Ashley snuck to the "hidden" alcove that housed the thieves. There she found the knives they'd taken from her before, though her sword was still nowhere to be found. At least it wasn't her favorite sword—that one she'd left in London. However, she'd make sure to retrieve this one later—it had been a gift after all. Snagging a spare blade, she carefully slid all her small daggers back into their designated places. Now armed to the teeth, she slunk back to where her men remained tied.

"Took you long enough." Bradley whispered to her as if this were an every day occurrence.

Ashley hissed in his ear, "Did I see you making any moves towards escape? No. So how about we not criticize my timing."

A small blade made quick work of their restraints. As each man gained his freedom he too slid off in search of weapons, save the page boy who retrieved the stolen scrolls and sat back down clutching them to his chest. It wasn't long before Ashley had assembled her forces. The problem was deciding what to do with them. Robin and his men knew these woods far better then they so escaping with Gisborn in tow would be difficult. Not to mention she didn't want to leave her cousins behind to fend for themselves, at least not with them now tied to Gisborn in the eyes of these outlaws. Sinking her teeth into the tip of her left thumb while she thought, she figured a crazy strategy was better than none. It'd always worked for her before. Turning to her men, she gave them the smirk they all knew her for.

"Give 'em hell. I just need a good distraction so I can get Robin alone. And do try not to get killed. Remember, these folks know how to fight to."

As they quietly positioned themselves, Ashley reflected on the last time she'd had a fairly decent fight. It'd certainly been awhile—since her last trip to the Holy Land in fact—and Robin was just the kind of opponent she liked best: fast, quick on his feet and with his strategies he'd keep her guessing.

Finally deciding a good entrance was in order, she pulled one of her spare daggers from the sheath on her leg. Spinning it idly she waited until Robin turned just right, and then with a flick, sent it into the ground no more than an inch from the toe of his boot.

Startled, Robin spun in the direction the dagger had come from, his hand already reaching for the sword at his side. There he found the man Ash grinning cheekily and crooking an index finger at him in invitation. As he did this the rest of his men attacked, effectively occupying Robin's men. Seeing no other option but to fight the little imp he let his men deal with the others and turned his attention to Ash.

Robin's sword slid from its sheath with quiet certainty and he took three long strides to meet Ash halfway. "Who are you?" he demanded, irritated that Ash had apparently slipped from his bonds once again. When he beat him he'd make sure that mistake wasn't repeated for a third time.

"Who is but the form following the function of what and what I am is a mystery," she declared, bringing her own borrowed sword around in preparation.

Robin gave no warning but attacked savagely, his calm face a violent contrast to his rapidly spinning and slashing blade. The anger, Ashley knew, was likely directed more at Gisborn than herself, but at the moment she presented the perfect target, in more ways than the obvious. His attacks forced her to block repeatedly while hiding her dismay at her "poor" reactions. After purposefully dislocating her arm she was a touch slower than normal and even that small amount made all the difference against such an opponent. Now she'd have to fight with her brain and rely less on her natural speed.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He snarled at her as he circled, looking for another opening.

Carefully maintaining her defense, she watched for Robin to make an error out of anger. She too circled him in the camp's clearing, her borrowed blade flowing to stop Robin's blade each time he thrust or cut inward—high, low, either side. He was fast but she suspected, sloppier than usual as she caught his eyes shifting away from her shoulders; like a novice he was plainly searching for an opening. Ashley smirked.

"It means what it means. I'm not about to explain the finer points of philosophy to you."

He suddenly slashed upwards, almost catching her in the face, causing her to twist out of the way. He pursued, continuing his slashing movements, whilst she continued to evade. When she heard him growl she smiled innocently at him.

"Fight not going the way you want?" she asked conversationally if slightly out of breathe.

"This isn't a game!" Robin snarled. He thrust at her stomach as he spoke, a move meant to spear her like a sausage. Ashley blocked jarringly, almost too late. She clenched her teeth and swung immediately into a crescent.

"Oh but Robin this is a game," Ashley cheered as Robin's sword rose to stop hers, "and I'm going to win!" She whipped her sword down into a vertical butterfly too fast to watch, scoring lightly across Robin's shoulder as he dove out of the way to avoid her. "Jumpy bugger, aren't ya?"

Robin recovered far faster than Ashley deemed normal and she was forced to lunge back to get away from his counter-cut. He continued to attack in a series of harsh, downward-chopping blows meant to cleave her from crown to sole. Ashley blocked, retreating and trying to devise a plan that didn't end up with her in two distinctly separate pieces on the ground.

Robin lunged forward to lock swords body to body. She struggled to maintain her grip and stance, her shoulder smarting painfully. His face was painfully close to hers, his breath coming out in shallow pants, with hers matching his in speed. "Tell me, who are you? Whom do you work for?"

"That knowledge is a privilege you aren't privy to. My employer is more important than you could ever dream of being," she gasped out, causing Robin to snarl and kick her in the stomach. Ashley yelped and went down, rolling to keep out of his way as he sliced at her.

A breath too late she realized his true goal. Her blade flew out of her grip and skid across the dirt out of reach—behind Robin. Damn. That cheeky fellow definitely knew what he was doing.

He leveled his sword point at her throat, smiling tightly. "You will answer my questions now, Ash." He turned her name into a hiss.

She edged back. "And why is that? You can't possibly think that," she motioned vaguely at his sword, "scares me."

He shook his head. Really, this strip of a man still thought this was a game. "I've won and the rest of your men will soon be dealt with. You have no—"

She suddenly moved in a burst of speed. She leaned away from his sword; her left foot curled up and in, then thrust out, slamming into his belly. Robin crashed to the ground, skidding a foot or two before coming to a stop. As he landed she smiled, recalling how the Chinese warrior she'd travelled with for a time had taught her several kicks, blows and sequences, making her practice incessantly. She'd never been able to beat the wiry little bugger but her own speed, and the endless repetitions, had caused what she knew to carry the weight of a fully trained master.

Robin stared. Where exactly had that come from? For that matter, what was that? He'd never seen anything quite like that from anyone before and he'd fought his fair share of individuals. It was obvious Ash had received some training from the Saracen's, what with the way he handled the sword. But that kick had been different; powerfully so. With a groan, Robin gained his feet once more. He'd have a nice bruise the next morning, if he didn't already have one now. His sword was gone now too, knocked out of reach during his fall. No time to retrieve it either as the small man charged him. His dagger would have to do for now.

"Who the hell are you?" He gasped out as he evaded her stabbing motion.

For her part, Ashley knew that for overall plan to succeed she needed to draw Robin away from his fellows. Not to mention, she didn't fancy that one oaf sneaking up to smash her on the head again. Her head was still smarting from the last good thwack—and she would not forget to thrash him for it later. With Robin's back now towards the woods, she began to drive him backwards and out of the clearing.

"Currently," she blocked and cut automatically, "I'm the person who's going to beat your arse."

Once in the denser trees, there was little room to maneuver. She'd always been better with knives than swords anyway. It'd led to many remarks from her men that she'd be an excellent thief. She met Robin's sudden charge and knocked his dagger aside. He came at her again with a backhand chop while she was shifting her balance. She took the hit on her forearm, the blade glancing off where it connected with her own knife strapped there, slipping up to graze her before sliding past her shoulder.

Close by, she heard her pageboy shout out in pain. He was supposed to remain out of the fighting but it would seem that the fighting had found him. Ashley glanced over to find Bradley tackling whomever it had been who'd harmed the boy. At the sight of him lying there in pain, she went cold and calculating. The boy was in her charge and he would receive no further harm on her watch. Turning back to Robin launched herself at him with a fury.

Muscles bunched in her legs and Ashley leapt towards a tree, pushing off the trunk she used the scant seconds it gave her to pull the knife from her forearm free and hurl it at Robin, causing him to back up a step and into perfect striking distance. Ashley landed on both feet, spun and kicked back into him. He curled in on himself as the hit landed almost exactly where her previous kick had connected.

Giving him no time to rest, she attacked again, forcing Robin farther from camp and deeper into the woods where light became ever scarcer. Her blade suddenly snaked up and twisted, sending Robin's last weapon spinning into the night. Ashley smirked; her eyes gleaming like a cat's in the semi-darkness. She had him now, or would have if he hadn't snagged a tree branch and swung into the canopy like some kind of monkey. A thud some feet away meant he'd returned to the ground but where…

Ashley paused, listening for movement in the gloom. The whisper of a footstep to her right gave Robin away. She turned, lashed out blindly with a kick and felt the satisfying connection with muscled flesh. A soft "oomph" and then Robin had recovered, swinging into a punch of his own.

Bending backwards, Ashley felt his knuckles swish past her nose. Too close. She needed distance if she were to win, her small body acting as a disadvantage if the fight got into too close of quarters.

She spun in an elaborate kick that was more show than substance. It didn't connect but that wasn't the point. Such kicks were for distraction. Robin dove out of the way anyway, falling right into her trap. The dagger she'd slid from the flat sheath on her shin was small but it'd do the trick. A deft flick of her wrist sent it whistling through the air, directly into Robin's new path.

Luck favored him as his foot caught on a root, sending him sprawling in the dirt. The dagger zipped past harmlessly, embedding itself in the trunk of a nearby tree. With few daggers left at her disposal, Ashley raced to retrieve it.

Trying to free her dagger, Ashley was knocked down by a kick to her thigh. Cursing in Gaelic, she rolled to her feet, but before she had her balance, Robin leapt on her, forcing her back to the ground. Air whooshed from her lungs as the man landed on her, his knee digging harshly into her spine.

"Why," Robin rasped. "Why are you siding with Gisborn if you know what he is?"

"It's complicated." Dirt, Ashley decided, did not taste great. But sampling it could hardly be avoided with her face pressed into the ground. "I despise him but recent events call for some major reevaluation."

Robin growled. "Gisborn is a monster. He deserves a slow and painful death. You couldn't possibly understand how—" One second he was on top and the next he found the world tilting as his head smashed into the ground with Ash on top.

"Listen up, I know it's hard but try." She growled near his ear, her knee equally pressing into his back as his had earlier. "Gisborn is a monster, I won't argue with you there, but that woman on the farm is trying to help him rise above that. Circumstances in this world dictate so much about a person. Even monsters deserve another chance." She was gasping now, exhausted from the drawn out fight, the hit to her head—courtesy of Little John—the gash on her arm, and the fact that she hadn't eaten in some time now.

A strong leg hooked hers and positions altered again as Robin rolled the two through the leaves and dirt until she was again on the ground, this time on her back with him straddling her hips, his arms holding her shoulders down, her hands beneath her pinned torso. The added pressure, and the awkward angle, did nothing to help her shoulder. His tight grip was also rubbing against her gash. He seemed to know instinctively where to hold her in order to make her momentarily go still from pain.

In the dim light she could see his expression was twisted from exhaustion and disbelief. "You really think he can change?"

Through the trees the sounds of voices filtered to them. Shouts of, "Robin!" echoed eerily in the trees. Ashley groaned inwardly, apparently her men had lost. Meaning they were either dead or tied up again. Did she really have to do everything?

Gritting her teeth, Ashley used the arm pinned underneath her to her advantage, loosening the last dagger from its sheath. Placed as it was it was digging painfully into her back anyway so now was as good a time as any to use it.

Heaving with her legs, Ashley forced Robin to pitch forwards then helped him continue the fall by using his own weight against him. She rolled with him until she was atop him; bringing her arm around in a swift move to place the blade against Robin's now exposed neck. This seemed to get his attention as he stilled and watched her carefully as she spoke.

"Here is what I want. Let Gisborn go back to the farm. I'll personally keep an eye on him and after today you know I'm up to the task. In return, if he doesn't change I won't stand in your way. I'll even help you kill the bastard," she grated, voice tight with deadly promise.

Robin thought about refusing but he didn't have much of a choice at the moment. And since it was unlikely, if not impossible, that Gisborn would actually change then he'd get to kill him eventually. "Agreed."

Ashley grinned happily. That was right up until she realized that she now had to extricate herself from this mess. It was exceptionally awkward to go from trying to kill someone to trying to release them. Robin must've sensed this as his eyebrows rose when she continued to sit astride him, her knife now hanging loosely in her fingers. Thankfully it was too dark for him to see her blush. Suddenly standing, she sheathed her dagger and offered a hand to Robin before she'd really thought about the action. Robin just stared as if she were offering him a deadly snake. She dropped it and wiped it against her thigh as Robin stood.

They both turned towards the continued calls of his men. Ashley waited for him to most first while Robin in turn waited for her to move first. They glanced at each other, each gesturing for the other to go and then glaring when neither moved. It was obvious that there was still a significant amount of trust that they would need to develop in order to allow the other to walk behind them.

"Okay," Ashley sighed, "how about we count to three then we both go?"

Robin nodded, "Sounds reasonable."

"One, two-"

"Wait."

Ashley sighed again, "What? We're just counting."

"I know that." Robin glared at her. "But are we moving ON three or after three?"

"I don't care. How about on three?"

Robin shook his head, "After three."

"Whatever!"


	17. Full Confessions and Sketchy Alliances

Somehow, despite their mutual distrust and slight immaturity, Ashley and Robin managed to make it back to camp without further conversation or altercation—though it wasn't because of a lack of desire to beat the living daylights out of each other. By the time they actually entered the camp, dawn had already broken out across the sky. They could just make out the figures of Robin's and Ashley's men, still circling each other cautiously, though no longer making any moves to strike.

"Oi Robin!" Allan called out once he saw them coming closer. "What do you want us to do with this lot?"

Ashley stepped in front of Robin, smiling when she heard him grunt when he had to stop abruptly to keep from running into her. "'This lot' as you deem us has come to an arrangement with your 'fearless' leader." She made sure to put the air quotation marks up as she spoke, earning another grunt from Robin as he stepped around her and headed towards his men.

Much frowned, "What does he mean Robin?"

"He means that I have agreed to allow a trial period for Gis-"

Robin's words were cut off when suddenly a few arrows came flying overhead, barely missing Much and Tuck, causing all of them to hit the dirt. Before any of them could figure out what happened, the "warrior" yells of pubescent boys rang out and suddenly Ben, Marcus, and Tim came flying down the little embankment just to the left of the group. Ashley remained on the ground near Gisborn, a proud smile on her face when she saw that Ben had their father's old sword, Marcus had an ax, and Tim had a skinning knife.

Robin's men quickly responded to the boys, trying their best to disarm them without being sliced to bits. Ashley signaled her men to withdraw. She only had to wonder where Maggie was for a few moments when suddenly Robin called out for the fighting to stop. Ashley looked over and observed—with great pride—Maggie's steady hand holding a rather sharp looking knife against Robin's neck with her own arm fastened tightly to his arms, holding them behind his body.

"Is this your 'wife' Gisborn?" Robin glanced over at Gisborn, who watched in proud fascination as Maggie continued to hold Robin steady.

Maggie paled. Robin had just called Guy by his surname. Did that mean-?

Gisborn watched her face pale and nodded, "Yes."

"Maggie." Ashley stood up then, a smile on her face. "You can call off them off. Robin and I have come to an arrangement."

When she saw Ashley unharmed, and untied, she immediately relaxed and removed her hand from Robin's neck. He, in turn, leapt away; rubbing at his neck for a moment as he quietly studied her. The boys, for their part, noticed the turn of the tides and immediately stopped fighting—though Tim did managed to kick Little John rather soundly in the shin, making Ashley doubly proud.

"I think you have some explaining to do." Robin watched the boys step away from his men as he spoke. "We've discussed about as much as we can without your side of the story."

Maggie cast Gisborn a nervous glance, noting the shadowed look in his eyes, and nodded.

"I'm Magdalene O' Connor. That man there," she pointed to Ashley, who in turn gave a little wave, "is my cousin."

Robin nodded, "That explains a lot."

Ashley shrugged, bending down and cutting through Gisborn's ropes, smiling at Robin as she did so.

"My family used to own a good portion of land on the outskirts of this shire." Maggie continued, also watching as Gisborn rubbed his wrists, his eyes carefully avoiding hers "We had a different surname then, one you would probably be more familiar with, however we had to change it after-." She swallowed quickly. "The O'Connor comes from my mother's ancestral claims in Ireland; we decided to adopt that surname after the incident." She glanced at Ashley and could tell that her cousin already thought she was being too honest, but Maggie didn't have the gift of lying smoothly on her feet so she opted for honesty.

"My father was an established manor lord, loyal to the crown. He never had any enemies, not even with the new French nobility when they moved into the area. However, before the first crusade to the Holy Land, Sir Gisborn approached my father, stating that he had permission from the king to expand his land and, in the process, would overtake some of ours. It was because my father was not participating in the crusades that this was allowed. My father had no choice but to give in, and he did so, still loyal to Richard."

Gisborn rubbed his wrists as he listened to Maggie, trying in vain to remember the events she described.

"However, while Lord Gisborn was away on crusades, there were accusations against my father pointing towards treason, heresy, robbery, even murder, and adultery." She closed her eyes against the sudden memory of her father nearly weeping in anguish over the pain those lies caused her mother. "My father had caught the bailiff pilfering money from the taxes he'd gained from his serfs and when my father took this to the Sheriff at the time, the Sheriff said he would look into it." Maggie fell silent, the memories crowding in quite strong now.

"What happened then?" Robin interrupted before either could comment further.

"My father was on his way home when he was struck down. He did not die immediately; he bled out until there was nothing left. No one found the murderer, but everyone could only assume that it was the bailiff." Magdalene sucked in a shaky breath then slowly let it out. "After some time, the King rendered most of my father's lands to Gisborn as payment for his service in the Holy Land, leaving one small portion for my family." She gave a cynical laugh. "However, the same bailiff tossed us out on our ear, took all the land deeds from my mother, leaving us with nothing. He even had his men throw us off our own land and ensured that we didn't reach the Sheriff with our protests."

Ashley closed her eyes, remembering hearing of these events whilst in Ireland with the rest of the family. It had pained her greatly and even at that time she'd blamed the young Gisborn—he was guilty by association.

"We managed to find a secluded area where we built a home for ourselves, as simple and poor as it was, and survived, barely. When we heard of Sir Guy's return and his immediate seizure of Locksley and old Gisborn lands, our mother immediately went to him with her pleas for justice." She sighed, "I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that Sir Guy ignored my mother, calling her a liar, and left us on our own once again. My mother died that winter and only my brothers and I survived."

Guy had watched Maggie as she spoke, doing his best to try to remember these events. However, only snippets of conversations and flashes of images came to him. Everything else remained blank as before. Despite this, he knew she was telling the truth. The pain he heard in her voice and the haunted look in her eyes confirmed it.

Maggie, for her part, looked over at her brothers, trying to see how they were reacting to all this. They were standing quietly, merely watching the proceedings. Ashley looked exceedingly uncomfortable—at least Maggie could tell she was uncomfortable since the woman was quite good at hiding her emotions. Her cousin more than likely thought she'd shared too much, and perhaps she had, but there was no way to take it back now.

She glanced at Gisborn. He finally looked up at her and she winced at the betrayed look in his eyes. She had two options. Leave him with Robin or insist on prior claim. Looking at his relatively beaten state she knew he would be physically safer with her. However, emotionally she would be safer if he remained with Robin. But could there still be progress with him in changing if he went with her back to the homestead, even after he'd heard all this truth?

Maggie tugged on her ear for a brief moment before she looked directly at Robin. "So you see, Robin Hood, my claim to Gisborn, and my quest for retribution for all the wrongs he and his family have caused, is prior to any claim you have. I am asking for you to surrender him to me and my brothers so that we may deal out to him the justice we feel he deserves."

Robin frowned and looked out into the forest. What she said made sense and it was true her claim was prior to his own, however…

"What makes you think he'll willingly go with you now that he knows all this is a lie?" Tuck pointed out. "Even though he still claims to not remember much of anything he could easily harm you and your brothers once we set him free and place him in your care.

Maggie sighed, seeing the truth in his words. She'd only assumed that Guy would still be willing to come back with her, and that was a most naïve assumption indeed. She avoided making eye contact with Gisborn, not wanting everyone to see how vulnerable she felt at that moment. Ashley noticed the gesture and frowned. Maggie had gotten in deeper than Ashley had originally thought and now she wasn't so sure it'd be a good idea for Gisborn to return with them.

"I promise not to harm the woman or her brothers." Gisborn's words silenced Ashley's thoughts.

Everyone looked up at Gisborn's voice. Maggie made eye contact and saw that despite the pain she'd caused him, there still was something inside him that kept him soft towards her. She knew he was telling the truth.

"What makes you think think we'll trust you and your promises?" Kate stood and glared down at Gisborn. "They're as worthless as dirt."

Gisborn glared back at Kate, "In the past I may be a lying, cheating bastard but if I felt anything like I do now, I can assure you that I never back out of my word. If I give you my word not to harm the woman or her family, then you can trust that I will not harm them. I have them to thank for my health and safety. Aside from the lies they've fed me," Maggie ducked her head under his accusing stare, "they have sheltered me even with the danger of being discovered and the danger I myself present."

"He has a point Robin." Tuck commented.

Everyone fell silent for a few moments while all pondered what had occurred. Ashley quietly watched Robin wrestle with his emotions—that man really needed to learn a few things from her in regards to masking emotions. After some time Robin spoke again.

"If Gisborn agrees then yes he can return with you and your family on a trial basis. However, if for any reason the old Gisborn surfaces or he tries to harm you, we take immediate action."

Maggie bit her lower lip. It was a sound plan, one she couldn't logically argue against.

"Tuck and John will take you back to your home." Robin nodded to the two and they in turn stood.

Gisborn stood and waited until the boys shyly wandered over to him before he started moving. Maggie glanced over at Ashley in question but her cousin waved her off. Maggie followed the others, keeping the boys between her and Gisborn. She didn't want to walk too closely, or talk. She was already afraid of what would be said once they were alone. She sighed, her shoulders slumped in defeat, as she trailed along beside her brothers.

"She's in love with him." Allan scoffed once they were gone.

Ashley stiffened, "I don't know what you're talking about." She really didn't want to admit the truth, especially not when it involved her own cousin and a man who could easily become a brutal monster once again.

"Now," Robin turned to face her again, "what are we going to do with you?"

Ashley smiled, "I'm not exactly 'something' to be dealt with."

"You still haven't told us who you are, what you're doing here, or who you work for." Much grumbled.

Bradley smirked, "The likelihood of you lot getting that information out of Ash unwillingly is very slim."

"Be that as it may," John broke in, "we still need to know if you are friend or foe."

Ashley was silent a moment, pondering what she should tell them, before she again smiled.

"I can assure you that I am not your enemy, nor am I the enemy of King Richard or England. In fact I am currently on a mission to save England and Richard."

Bradley raised his eyebrows, curious that she'd been so forthright already. She merely shrugged in reply.

"How are we supposed to know that you really aren't a spy planted here by the Sheriff?" Kate growled.

Ashley for her part continued to smile as she casually leaned against a tree facing Robin and his men, "Even after you lot captured my men and I, without first questioning our loyalties, we have not continued to try to kill you, save for that brief disagreement we had earlier. Certainly the more perceptive of you," Ashley smiled and heard Robin snort as she did so, "would see that we are in fact not in league with the Sheriff."

"Given the frail nature of our 'treaty' however, how can you expect me to believe anything you say?" Robin crossed his arms across his chest. "I don't know your name, where you came from, who you work for, and as to your mission…" Robin waved a hand in the air. "It would be insanity for us to help you with so many unknowns."

"What happened to the arrogant, know-it-all, impulsive outlaw that I heard so much about?" Bradley spoke up from where he finished bandaging the pageboy's arm. "I was so looking forward to meeting him. Even from," he glanced at Ashley and saw her warning look before he continued, "where we were we'd heard plenty of rumors about you. I can't tell you how disappointed I am to find that instead of an impulsive bastard I find a cowardly imbecile."

Robin took a menacing step towards where Bradley sat but was held back by Allan and Much when they quickly interceded. Ashley gave Bradley a supportive nod, thankful for the additional goading. She figured it would be helpful in spurring Robin into action—at least the type of action they needed from him instead of this pussyfooting around.

"He has good cause to be cautious." Much spoke up, apparently just as offended by Bradley's remark as Robin had been. "You don't know what he's been through."

Ashley faked a yawn, "Yes, yes we know. Gisborn killed his wife in a fit of rage. There's a new Sheriff in town, and it seems the Prince John is stronger than ever." The look of utter pain that crossed Robin's face did cut at Ashley's heart but she quickly pushed away the feeling and focused on her mission—she'd dallied around long enough. "Hate to sound cruel but pain happens. I'm sure we've all lost someone close in the chaos of our times." She'd lost more than she cared to admit herself. "However, unless we focus on something bigger than ourselves we'll only be wasting our breaths wallowing in self-pity." She pushed away from the tree and came to stand directly in front of Robin, her head tipped up to look in the eye. "I don't know about you, Robin Hood, but I'd rather not waste my life only thinking about my own pain instead of focusing on finding a solution to the problems around me in order to prevent further pain."

Robin stared down at her with an intensity that, despite the extent of her travels and training and despite the trials and dangers she'd been through, made the pit of her stomach church with discomfort. His pain was fresh and raw whereas hers had been buried beneath years of hardening herself in her work. She saw a reflection of an earlier self in his gaze and that was quite disconcerting. However, thankfully, his spoke before her mind wandered too far down paths best left forgotten.

"What are those documents that that boy carries? You have cleverly disguised it with some sort of code I don't recognize. "

Ashley nibbled on her lower lip, quickly debating what should be revealed and what should be held back. She knew her orders and she figured now would be a good time to loosely interpret the "whatever it takes" clause.

"They are the financial accounts of a number of nobles here in England as well as in Ireland, Scotland, and English held France."

Robin's eyebrows rose and he tipped his head to the side, "What on earth are you going to do with that type of information?"

"My employer wishes to see justice done in the realm of England." When Robin frowned Ashley smiled and suddenly patted his shoulder in a comforting gesture, earning herself a confused frown from him. "All you need to know is that I'm not against you and I'm not working for the Sheriff. All good things will be revealed in time. Surely you understand the necessity of secrecy even amongst possible allies."

Everyone was quiet for a moment during which time the pageboy grabbed up his bundle of documents and held them to his chest like it was a warm blanket. Ash would reward him later for his diligence; she'd have to bribe him to not tell her employer about his wound though. He was one of her employers favorites and his wound would not bode well on her salary.

"Why are you here?" Much questioned, taking her focus off of Robin.

Ashley returned to her tree to lean against it, "We were on our way to Nottingham. They still retain some documents that we need."

"You were just going to sashay into Nottingham and ask for their private records?" Allan scoffed.

Bradley smiled, "I don't think there would be mush sashaying or asking involved."

"What we were going to do was break into Nottingham and retrieve the documents." Ashley continued, smiling at her second-in-command. "But you decided to interrupt and now we seem to be in a tight situation and time is running out."

"So you want us to help you break into Nottingham?" Much spoke up, eyeing the exchange between Ashley and Bradley.

Bradley nodded and Ashley smiled despite the fact that she continued to return Robin's gaze in a battle of wills. For his part, Robin churned over the information Ash had supplied along with the man's previous actions, weighing the pros and cons of aiding him. If he went along with this incredulous plan perhaps the true motives of Ash and his men would be revealed as well as the identity of the elusive employer. He could also find out what Isabella was up to, as it had been unusually quiet ever since Gisborn had gone missing.

"Do you have a plan?" As he spoke he heard Kate hiss through her teeth and Much groaning in distaste but he kept his eyes on Ash.

Ashley inwardly sighed. She could've pulled it off without his help, but things would go a lot smoother with his added help.

"Something you'll soon find out about Ash," Bradley stood up and came closer, "he always has a plan."

Ashley grinned in response, the wheels in her head already turning.


	18. Where to From Here?

Sherwood Homestead

Though Gisborn and Maggie said nothing to each other, the walk back to the farm was not silent. The boys kept jabbering, still on a high from their "successful" rescue attempt. Maggie also knew that it was their way of trying to apologize to Gisborn, without of course having to come out and actually apologize. Gisborn responded softly though firmly, his eyes focused ahead. Maggie felt a gnawing unease grow larger and larger until it encompassed her entire body by the time they reached the house.

Finding safety in routine, she ordered the boys to do their daily chores as she too set about fulfilling her daily duties. After he cleaned up and changed, Gisborn also returned to helping the boys, still avoiding looking at her or engaging her in conversation. She was surprised he hadn't demanded his belongings and promptly left them, even with Robin's warning. Though in reality, if he still had not regained his memories in full then their farm was the safest place for him to recuperate.

By the time night fell and they all gathered around the table for a late supper, Maggie thought she would scream in fear and frustration. She was frustrated because she didn't know why she was afraid. Gisborn was, or at least should be, nothing to her. He was merely a former enemy whom she had played mind games with. That was the truth of the matter.

However, somewhere along the way, something changed. Perhaps it was when he'd kissed her, or maybe when she'd discovered his sense of humor and warmth, or perhaps when he saved her brother and comforted her. In any case, she no longer saw him as an inhumane monster. Even the new knowledge of his past treacheries, his murder of Marian for instance, did not completely dissuade her heart from feeling warmth towards him.

Gisborn also sat in silent frustration and fear, with a heavy dose of anger mixed in. He was angry at the turn of events, at discovering the truth so harshly. He was angry with Maggie and the boys for their blatant trickery. And yet he was frustrated with himself for not knowing where to go from here. What path should he take now that he knew the truth? Should he allow himself to become the man he once was? Should he reject this woman and her brothers because, out of a sense of vengeance, they had unwittingly given him a chance for another, brighter, future?

Guy shook his head as did his best to eat, not really paying attention to what it was he continued to shovel into his mouth. He was also afraid. He was afraid because he knew that whatever decision he made, whether it was to reject these people or embrace them, he would be jeopardizing them. If he truly was the puppet of such vile men then any association with Maggie and her brothers would only harm them. This was a no win situation for both him and Maggie and her brothers. He couldn't help but wonder if it would have been better if they'd let him freeze to death and drown in the river.

With these thoughts weighing heavily on their minds, Guy and Maggie retired to their room. Maggie stood awkwardly by the window while Guy hovered near the door. Nothing had been discussed about sleeping arrangements and so both understood that that discussion would come now. Neither, however, knew how to begin. It took Tim, purposefully oblivious to the tension between them, to break the ice.

"Here." He handed Gisborn a thick blanket. "It'll help keep you warm. There's also an extra blanket in the trunk over there." He pointed past Gisborn's shoulder. "Good night."

Tim left as quickly as he'd come and once again the room fell into an awkward silence. Guy moved first and quietly spread the blanket out beside the wall closest to the door. Maggie took this as her cue and moved to the bed to retrieve his pillow. She handed it to him, shivering when their fingers accidentally brushed. She turned and quickly retrieved the other blanket, all but tossing it to him from across the room, not wanting to risk touching him again.

Once his bedding was sufficiently laid out, he made the excuse of checking on the animals in order to give her time to change. By the time he returned she was already sitting in bed, the covers pulled up to her chest where she hugged her knees against herself. Guy removed his boots and was about to remove his shirt when he glanced over and saw Maggie making fists against the covers. He sighed and dropped his hands.

"Are you going to explain to me personally why you did this to me? Or are you going to leave it as you explained it to Robin?" He continued to face the window, his jaw tight.

Maggie refused to look up even though every nerve in her body willed her to look at him. "When this all started I really didn't know what to do with you. At first I was tempted to merely leave you in the river, let you freeze to death, but then I realized that was too easy a death for you. Then, when you suddenly didn't know who you were, I don't know, something hatched inside my head." She sighed and leaned her back against the headboard. "I felt that maybe we could reeducate you on how to be humane. Perhaps even if you did get your memories back you would also remember what it was like to live life as a decent man and that could help you make better decisions."

"What right did you have to play God with my life?" She winced at the harshness of his words but he didn't stop there. "What you have done to me is worse than anything Marian ever did to me."

"How can you say that when you can't remember what she did to you?" Maggie looked up, her own eyes beginning to burn with anger at having been compared to the notorious Marian.

"I'm sure she never created such an elaborate lie that I started to believe I was someone whom I really wasn't. I'm sure she never manipulated her way into my head and mucked around in there long enough to where I began to doubt who I really was or what I should do. I don't think she ever created such a conflict inside me that I endangered myself in my own confusion." Guy leaned against the wall, finally facing her, his arms crossed over his chest. "I don't think I could love someone who did that to me and, according to Robin's men, I was desperately in love with her."

Maggie winced again, "Yes, and you killed her didn't you? What does that say about what she did to you?"

Guy was hovering over her in the blink of an eye, his eyes wild with rage, his entire body shaking with barely restrained anger. Maggie knew she should be more careful with her words but she couldn't stop the pain his accusations created inside her. She also couldn't stop her own anger, at herself and him, for this entire situation. He had plopped into her life so unexpectedly, at her mercy, and then he'd gone and wheedled his way into her heart where he now continued to wreak havoc. No, the pain was too great to keep silent anymore.

"You will not mention that again." He leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper though it still held menacing power.

Maggie tipped her head up in equal stubbornness, "You will not compare me to her again."

His hand coming up and circling her neck silenced any defiance she'd felt. He pushed her down onto the bed until he hovered over her, his hand still firmly gripping her neck as the weight of his body crushed her into the mattress. He wasn't cutting off her air, at least not yet, but his grip was a sharp reminder that he was stronger and she was quite vulnerable to him, in more ways than one. She tried to struggle to sit back up again, but every time he used his grip on her neck to force her back into submission. When she finally lay quietly, though not at all relaxed, he took the time to study her.

As she watched him glare down at her, his eyes frantically roaming over her features, his breath coming in shallow pants, she felt the mood change. For her part, Maggie found it difficult to concentrate on anything. He was too close, the warmth of his body overwhelming, the fierceness of his presence too much. She brought her hands up between them and pressed them against his chest, a pathetic attempt to get him to move away. She felt his heart racing beneath her hand and knew that her own heartbeat matched the frantic pace. When she pushed at his chest again, he remained solidly placed against her, his wild eyes changing from frantic anger to forlorn sadness.

"Why?" His voice was again a whisper but this time it had vulnerability in it that Maggie couldn't help but soften towards.

She didn't know what answer he wanted. Why did she do this? Surely he already understood how it had all begun, as a mission of "pure-hearted" vengeance. Was he asking why the fates had done this to him? Everyone reaped what the sowed; at least that was what she believed. Or maybe he was asking why the truth had to be so different from what he'd been led to believe. Why did he have to be the monster instead of the man she'd tried to shape him into? She closed her eyes, ashamed when a warm tear leaked out of the corner of her eye.

As Guy watched the tear streak down the side of her face, his anger dissipated. He slowly released his grip on her neck, grimacing when he saw angry red marks left behind. He remained atop her for a few moments longer, willing her to look at him again. But when her eyes stubbornly refused to open he rolled away and sat on the edge of the bed, facing the window again.

He ran a hand through his hair and over his face. He was so conflicted. His anger had changed to remorse which had changed to guilt which had changed to fear. How in the hell was he supposed to exist now? It was true what he'd said. If he was indeed the monster everyone said he was, what Maggie did to him by showing him what being a decent man was like, was akin to sentencing him to death. How was he supposed to survive in the cutthroat world he'd come from now that he knew what it was like to live honorably?

Maggie kept her eyes closed. She knew he still sat on the bed as the side of his leg was pressed against hers. She didn't know what else to say now. They were both hurting, they both felt justified for their own pain—though she did feel guilt for what she'd done—and neither knew where to go from here.

"What are you going to do?"

Guy glanced over his shoulder when he felt Maggie shift onto her side, her back facing him. He sighed and looked back towards the window.

"Your cousin managed to get Robin to agree to let me stay with you until either my memories fully return or I continue to learn how to be a decent man."

"Are you going to stay?"

Guy heard the hitch in her voice and closed his eyes at the sound. Damn it, why did his heart have to be so undecided in regards to her?

"Do you want me to stay even after all that I've done to you, even though I know the truth now and perhaps may not cooperate with your efforts to change me into a better man?" He knew his voice sounded bitter but he couldn't keep it from surfacing.

Maggie sighed as she finally sat up, readjusting her night gown in order to remain decent. She took a steadying breath before she faced Guy, her gaze open but firm.

"Let me be honest with you."

He snorted, "That would be a first."

Maggie clenched her jaw, closed her eyes for a moment, and then again took a steadying breath. She was making herself even more vulnerable here but what the hell? What else did she have to lose, or gain, here?

"I want you to become a better man than you were, yes. I want you to become someone that people wouldn't be ashamed of, yourself included."

"Who's to say I was ashamed of who I was?" He scoffed.

She frowned, "Think about it Guy," it was the first time she'd used his name and he wasn't entirely excited about the pleasant sound it made coming from her lips, "given the character of who you once were, do you really think you were proud of being that way?"

"Who's to say I had a choice about what sort of man I was?"

"Everyone has a choice, Guy. I could've chosen to allow you to die. I could've given into my thirst for vengeance and just killed you. But I didn't did I?" She waved away his answer before he could give it. "In any case think of it this way. Since you still do not have all your memories it is too dangerous for you to return to Nottingham, not that you could anyway as I heard it was you who killed the Sheriff and are now a wanted man. And so you could have enemies that you didn't know existed and without that knowledge you are at a great disadvantage."

"So you're selflessly offering your home as a retreat for me to peacefully regain my memories?" Guy frowned. "Let me guess, I have to repay you with manual labor."

Maggie sighed and crossed her arms across her chest, "You don't have to do a damn thing Gisborn. If you want to go back to being a bastard then by all means go and be that bastard again. I'm not stopping you. I know what you were like as that bastard and I can tell you right now that, though you had money and lands, you were utterly miserable. Anyone could see that."

"So you think turning me into a yeoman farmer will ensure my happiness?"

Maggie growled this time, not seeing the smirk on Guy's face, "I think you attempting to continue to learn how to live an honorable decent, albeit simple life, would benefit you, yes."

She looked over at him, waiting for another snide comment. When he didn't offer up any right away she began to worry. What was he concocting inside that head of his?

"Robin and his men will not allow me to leave here, even if I wanted to. If I leave here I will end up in their hands. Given the choice between here and there I much prefer here." He stood up and went over to his makeshift bed. "Can't say the company is any more trustworthy though," Maggie glared daggers at him but he continued, "but it is a bit more comfortable."

After a moment she spoke again, "Are you going to help the boys or should I inform them tomorrow that we merely have an arrogant guest loafing off of us?"

Guy lay down, his smile hidden from her view. He didn't answer right away, curious as to what she'd do with his silence.

"Gisborn." She sounded angry and he found twisted pleasure in the knowledge that he'd managed to anger her.

Maggie stared at his back, willing him to get indigestion, before she huffed in frustration and lay down. She would get very little sleep because of him. That arrogant bast-

"I'll help." His voice was soft but she still heard it. "But don't expect me to be pleasant about it."

Maggie smiled to herself before rolling over and settling in for sleep.


	19. Disappearing Act

Outlaw's Camp

It had been a long night full of disagreements and further obstinate lunacy on the part of Robin and his men. He was really quite the frustrating bloke. Sure he was handsome, had a good body—Ashley had discovered that whilst he'd tried to crush her during their fight(s)—but his arrogance, stubbornness, and pride made her want to smack him with a wet fish until he fainted. Of course Bradley had only pointed out the fact that those very qualities about Robin that boiled her brains were the same qualities that she held within herself—she'd made a note to dock his pay for that comment.

Ashley continued to sharpen her knife even as she continued to listen to Kate argue with Robin about their plan. It was already somewhat in motion so she was a bit confused as to why Kate continued to argue with Robin about it. Ashley sighed. She personally didn't understand what Robin saw in the annoying wench. While Kate could be considered good looking, her bitterness left much to be desired, again in Ashley's opinion. When Robin looked up and found her watching them she merely shrugged and went back to work.

"Do you think this will work?" Bradley asked as he dropped down beside her, seizing hold of her discarded rag to begin cleaning his own weapon.

"Why shouldn't it work?" Ashley smiled. "We have greater numbers so a smaller chance at failure, and if all else fails we have a different goose to cook instead of our own, if you catch my meaning."

Bradley snorted, "You never were very good with turns of phrases were you?"

"Have the others taken the pageboy and left yet?" Ashley changed the subject, choosing not to smack Bradley for his comment.

"Yes, they left not too long ago. I believe Allan showed them a path that would lead them well away from Nottingham and the main roads." Bradley's gaze leveled on Ashley's face. "Are you sure this is the right decision?"

"What do you mean?"

Bradley dropped the rag and picked up the sharpening stone, "You told Robin more than I expected you too last night and you seem to trust him more than I've seen you trust anyone else, besides me of course." He shook his head. "I would just like to know if you know what you're doing or if I should start to look for new employment."

Before Ashley could answer Robin approached them, "I'd like a word with you Ash."

"It is rarely one word Robin." Ashley smiled up at him as she spoke, "but all right if you insist."

She handed her sword to Bradley as she stood up and followed Robin a short distance away from the group. Well at least it would have been a short distance away from the group had Robin stopped walking. Instead he kept walking, and walking, and walking. Ashley didn't feel threatened, even without her sword she still had quite an arsenal of knives hidden away. She was curious however.

"Is there a reason why we're going for a lovely jaunt through the woods instead of talking?"

Robin finally stopped and turned to face her, "I'm going to ask you one last time to tell me who your employer is and what is really going on."

"Why should I tell you?" Ashley crossed her arms. "Did you bring me out here to kill me? Are you going to order your men to kill Bradley too now that it's just the two of us? Have you had Allan lead my men into a trap?" She wasn't feeling panicky, she knew Bradley would follow them if she wasn't back in ten minutes; in fact he was probably already tracking them.

Robin shook his head, "I am a loyal subject to King Richard; I have fought many years against tyranny in this land and as a result I have been outlawed and lost my wife. If this is not proof that I can be trusted with a plot to save England then I don't know what else can prove my loyalty to you."

Ashley inwardly growled. He had a point there. But telling him would lessen her advantage over him, and others. The less people who knew the truth the more likely they were to succeed. Bradley was the only other living person, other than her employer, who knew what was going on. If he was captured that would be bad enough. She knew she'd die before capture so she wasn't worried about herself. If she told Robin, though, he'd be yet another loose end to worry about.

"I do not doubt your loyalty Robin." Ashley sighed. "I cannot risk having too many people know the full complexity of the situation. Please be content with knowing that what I am doing is for the good of England."

Ashley turned to start back towards camp. She heard Robin start after her then grunt. She turned around just as he pulled a small dart from his neck. She stepped forward and took hold of the dart and.

"What-" Before she could question further she felt a sharp sting in her neck as well. Immediately she began to sway.

Robin fell against her and they both fell to the ground, Robin sprawled on top of her. He muttered something against her neck before he passed out completely. She tried to push at his body but felt too weak and instead merely lay there until suddenly a dark figure hovered over them.

"Damn." She muttered as she too joined him in unconsciousness.

Sherwood Homestead

Gisborn made good on his statement the night before and did continue to help the boys the following day. He wasn't quiet about it though. He voiced complaints, ridiculed the proceedings, and was not at all a very pleasant man. The boy's didn't seem to mind though. In fact, it seemed that they felt they deserved his surly treatment as punishment for their actions. Maggie, for her part, didn't complain about his actions either. She kept her mouth shut at his every ridicule, merely speaking to him when it was necessary. She was afraid that if she attempted much more then she'd just betray her own vulnerability towards him.

Throughout the day she felt herself looking towards him, drawn towards him, always curious about him. She knew it wasn't right, what she felt for him, not after what he'd done to their family and what her family had done to him, but her heart seemed to ignore her better judgment. She knew that she was in love with him but it would do no good pining after him. He would probably never truly forgive them, especially not if he regained his old character again, and so she had no hope.

That didn't stop her heart from pounding every time they brushed against each other. It was always accidental though. That morning she'd tripped on his bedding on her way out the door and he'd had to catch her. Perhaps the hesitation he'd had in letting her go had only been in her imagination though. Then later when he'd come in before the boys at the noon meal he'd walked behind her right as she'd turned and walked into him. He'd had to grab her shoulders and press her between the table and his own body to keep them both from falling over. Again she thought she'd felt a pause in his movements before he'd let her go and stepped away, but she couldn't be sure. In any case she wasn't looking forward to another long night of sleeping in the same room with a man that she loved but couldn't be with.

Perhaps that was why dinner so was so tense, despite the boys attempts at making light conversation. She felt his eyes burn across the table at her throughout the meal but hadn't the courage to meet his gaze. Instead she cowered like the chicken that she knew herself to be and remained silent unless spoken to.

"I'll go get some water from the river." Guy commented after dinner, speaking up for the first time in a while.

The boys offered to help but he shook his head, wanting some time alone to further assess how he felt. He glanced over at Maggie, hesitating just long enough for her to finally look up at him. He gave her an enigmatic smile before he shut the door behind him. Maggie could only sigh before she instructed the boys to get ready for sleep. For her part she'd try to prepare herself but knew she'd still have butterflies the moment he walked through the bedroom door.

Guy stood by the river's edge for some time, studying the sky overhead as it began to darken with the coming night. He was surprised that he wasn't angrier with Maggie and her brothers. Of course he wasn't about to let them know that he wasn't angry. He would exact a little of his own revenge for the time being, teach them a lesson perhaps.

Though it was very difficult in regards to Maggie, remaining aloof and rather cold. Throughout the day, despite his better judgment he'd purposefully orchestrated "accidents" that would bring her close to him. He knew he had no right to ask her to come to him, not with things the way they were, and so he knew the only way he'd be able to touch her again would be through accidental touches. Was he a devil for tricking her like that? Not any more of one than she was for causing him to feel this way towards her.

No, in the long run, instead of being angry and cold, he found himself growing warmer to the idea of a change of character. If he truly had been the man everyone had described him as, and if there was a chance that he could live a life outside the corrupt courtly life he'd previously lived, then perhaps a "change of heart" wasn't such a bad idea. Of course he could never atone for his past sins, which he still couldn't fully remember, but perhaps he could keep from making similar sins in the future.

Though his family had caused hers great pain, and though their relationship now had been started on a lie, perhaps it wasn't completely doomed. He would have to earn her trust and prove to her that he was a changed man and wanted to remain a changed man—of course he was also going to have to fully believe that he wanted to be a changed man before he did this. He would also have to learn to trust her again. He understood her actions, at least her motives, and so had already begun to forgive her. But there were still so many factors that they had to work out. But they had time to work things out.

With renewed energy at this thought, he bent to pick up the pails when suddenly a sharp pain erupted in his neck. He swayed slightly, bringing his hand up to touch his neck. With blurry eyes he studied the thin arrow that had been imbedded in his neck. He slumped to his knees, conscious only long enough to see a dark figure stalking towards him. His last thoughts were of Maggie.


	20. Long Night Ahead

Sherwood Forest

Ashley cursed when she felt another sting warm her cheek. "Really Bradley? You felt the need to slap me?" She blinked away the grogginess then slowly sat up.

"Well I never get the chance to best you so I figured I'd capitalize on the rare moment." He helped her stand. "Where's Robin?"

Ashley swayed for a moment, grateful when Bradley kept a steadying hand on her shoulder. She quickly looked around, searching for clues.

"I don't know. We were both drugged by some dark figure. I was losing consciousness too quickly to be sure of who it was, besides from what I could tell they were wearing a cloak." Her head began to pound and she pressed a hand to it. "Whomever it was seemed to only be interested in Robin though."

"Or they knew you were more trouble than you're worth."

Ashley growled at her companion, "Come on you ol' bastard and let's get back to the camp. I'm sure they'll believe us when we tell them we had nothing to do with this."

"You sure you don't just want to leave now and wash our hands of the whole lot?" Bradley was careful not to hover too close to her, knowing that while she'd accept help in dire need she wasn't one for coddling.

"We can't now. They know where my cousin lives and they'll probably drag her into an even bigger mess if I don't show up."

Bradley sighed but followed Ashley, ever mindful whenever she began to sway again.

It was true that the group didn't believe them when they tried to explain. Kate had even tried to draw a sword against them but Tuck had stopped her. But then they'd started down a list of other possibilities until=

"Gisborn!" Kate growled.

Ashley tipped her head to the side in thought. Perhaps it had been Gisborn, but perhaps not. She couldn't be sure but from what she remembered the figure hadn't had the stature of Gisborn.

"We don't know that for sure," she brought their attention to herself as she spoke, "the only way to find out is to go to Maggie's farm."

They were silent a moment before Tuck spoke, "I agree. Kate, you and Allan go with Ash and check out the O'Connor's; John, you and Bradley head towards Nottingham to see if there are any clues as to where Robin might be. I'll head towards Locksley."

"What about me?" Much looked frantic.

Tuck dropped a heavy hand on the man's shoulder, "You stay here just in case Robin comes back."

Much didn't look happy about the decision, neither did Bradley but after a nod from Ash he conceded in going. Ash, for her part, seriously hoped Gisborn had a good alibi for the day.

Sherwood Homestead

"Guy's gone!" Tim rushed into the house. The other boys immediately began to dress.

Maggie heard the commotion and hurried out into the common room. Her brothers were already getting dressed again.

"What's going on?"

"Guy's gone. I found the pails down by the river but he's gone."

After the initial moment of panic Maggie sighed, "Again? Did you see Robin or any of his men?"

Tim shook his head, "No I only saw one set of foot prints leading down the river a ways before they disappeared in the undergrowth."

They were all silent a moment before Marcus piped up, "Now what?"

"I don't know. It's too late to go find Robin and there's no way we can track whoever took Guy with darkness coming." Maggie rubbed her head.

"Do you think he left on his own?" Tim questioned, his voice soft.

Maggie nibbled her lower lip. She honestly didn't know if he would've risked going up against Robin and his gang again. She didn't know what he was thinking and couldn't even begin to guess what had been going through his mind that day. Before she could answer her brother there was a pounding at the door.

"Maybe it's Guy!" Tim exclaimed, rushing towards the door

"Would he knock at his own house?" Questioned Marcus, looking between Ben and Maggie.

Maggie only managed a shrug before Tim opened the door to reveal an irate Kate, a less angry looking Allan, and a confused Ashley.

"Where have you put him?" Kate exclaimed as she pushed into the house.

Maggie growled right back as the rest of the group filed in, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Robin! Where have you taken Robin?" Kate moved past Maggie to look in her room.

"What do you mean? Is Robin gone?" Maggie shook her head in confusion, looking towards Ashley for help.

"Where's Gisborn?" Ashley asked as she too glanced around the house.

Maggie rubbed her head, "He's not here."

"What do you mean?" Allan spoke up.

"He went missing earlier tonight." Tim spoke up. "We didn't know if you had taken him or if he'd left on his own. I only saw an indentation on the ground as if someone had fallen then one set of tracks leading away into the undergrowth."

Ashley frowned. So apparently it hadn't been Gisborn. But who would want to take both Gisborn and Robin, alive?

"Do you mean to tell me both Robin and Guy are missing?"

Ash nodded and Maggie began wringing her hands as well. Her mind buzzed with all the possibilities, none of them pretty. She put her hand on the back of one the chairs to steady herself.

"Do we know who took them?" her voice wobbled.

"No. And we don't know where they've disappeared to either. Whoever took them was good, very good." Allan commented dryly.

Maggie nodded, "Have you checked the roads leading into Nottingham?"

"John and Bradley are in Nottingham now and Tuck went towards Locksley." Ash added.

Maggie sighed, feeling exceedingly tired after all that had happened just in the past few days.

"What do you want us to do?" Ben asked, having quietly watched the exchange earlier.

"Stay here." Ash and Allan both spoke at the same time. The boys didn't look too happy with this instruction but seemed resigned to compliance with the order.

Maggie nodded, "Please let us know if you find anything out."

"Don't worry." Ash commented, giving Maggie a reassuring smile. "I'll do what I can to find him."

She then motioned for the group to leave and all did save Kate. She hovered in the doorway looking around the room one last time. Before she turned to leave she spoke again.

"Why?"

Maggie raised her brows, "What?"

"Why would you willingly bring a murdering bastard into your home like you did?"

"Because," Maggie took a deep breath and slowly let it out, "I don't think he's a complete loss."

Kate snorted, "You think there's still some good lurking inside him?"

Maggie nodded and Kate shook her head.

"There's nothing down there but more hate and anger. Quit while you can," Kate turned, "let go before it's too late."

Maggie gave her a soft smile, "That time came and went a while ago."

"I'm sorry for you then." Kate nodded before returning to the group and leaving Maggie to worry.

It was going to be a long night.


	21. Discoveries and Resolutions

Nottingham

"Any word on Vasey?" Isabella questioned her commander.

"He should be here within three days." The commander came up to stand beside her.

She frowned, "What about Robin and my brother? Has anyone caught them since they went to York?"

"No my lady, it seems they have managed to free some prisoners there but then disappeared again."

That sparked her interest. What would Robin and Guy be doing freeing prisoners in York? It was odd enough that they'd been seen traveling together, and not trying to kill one another, but to have them go all the way to York just to free some prisoners? There was something off about that.

"Send one of your men to question the Sheriff of York, ask him who exactly was amongst those prisoners that escaped."

The man nodded then quickly walked away, leaving Isabella to her own turbulent thoughts.

London, England

She heard her lady in waiting clear her throat, "You're majesty."

"What is it?" The Queen Mother didn't bother looking up from where she continued to prune her rose bush.

"A pageboy and two soldiers have arrived. They say they have an important message for you."

The Queen Mother paused in her movements. Finally things were starting to go in her favor; at least they would be if everything had gone according to plan.

"Are you sure it is only the three and not five?" She set aside her tools and stood.

The lady nodded, "Yes your majesty."

The Queen Mother frowned. Perhaps things weren't so positive after all.

"Bring them to me."

Outlaw's Camp

They couldn't wait much longer, Ashley knew this. It had already been two days since Robin and Guy had disappeared. If they didn't get the last of the documents soon then the window of opportunity would close and all would be lost. She was prepared to act alone with only Bradley at her side but then all hell had broken loose. Robin had showed up, finally, with Gisborn in tow. Together they'd told them some tale about having a half-brother. Of course that was unbelievable until they'd mentioned the man's name and then her blood boiled.

"Is that the same Ar-" she stomped on Bradley's toe to keep him from saying anything further.

It could only be the same Archer. His character and skills were very similar to both Robin's and Gisborn's, it would only make sense that he would be their half-brother. She'd long prayed that she'd run into him again just so she could have the satisfaction of slitting his throat and being rid of him for good and now that chance had landed right in her lap. But the trick was, if she killed him she'd be making an enemy of the man her cousin loved—daft that Maggie was—and an enemy of the ally that she knew she needed but certainly didn't want. Yes, it was certain that someone up THERE hated her.

"Where is he now?" She kept her voice neutral, not wanting to give anything away.

Gisborn frowned, "After he tried to hand us over to the Sheriff there in York he decided to ride off alone."

"He wasn't interested in helping us fight Isabella or restore Richard." Robin added, clearly as disturbed as Gisborn was with his half-brother's actions.

Ashley wasn't surprised though. She'd been privy to such actions by Archer before, had actually been a part of such actions as well, but then he'd done the same thing to her and now he was on her "hit" list. Of course that had been years ago, when she'd been young and naïve and first starting out in this line of work. But now, oh now she would get even with the man she'd given herself too but had ultimately been betrayed by.

"Do you know where he was headed?" She again kept her voice neutral, aware of Bradley watching her carefully, obviously waiting for her to snap.

Robin shook his head, "No."

Ashley nodded. She was tempted to ride out and find him. Now that she knew he was at least on the same continent she felt that finding him would at least be easier. However she still had a job to do and she was known for always completing a job. Damn her morals.

"I believe I should go check in on Maggie." Gisborn stood, looking torn at the thought.

"Good luck." Ashley smiled at him, finding comfort in his discomfort as he walked away from the camp.

After some time during which Robin continued to explain the situation in detail to his men he finally brought it to a close, "I think we've been distracted long enough. Perhaps it's time we get those documents."

"I thought you'd never say that." Ashley smiled.

Perhaps the job could be finished quickly then she could be free to deal out some much needed justice.

Sherwood Homestead

Two days and no word, it was murder on her nerves. Maggie sighed as she filled the buckets with water. She was trying to stay positive for her brothers but it was difficult when they could see right through her. She was having to face the facts and that was what hurt the most. She could, and would have to, accept life without Gisborn in it. Things would never have worked out between them; she was trying to convince herself of this. There was too much bad history there. He was perhaps always going to be a tortured man and there was nothing she or her brothers could do about that.

"Damn." She didn't often curse but this seemed a good enough time to do it.

Maybe if she hadn't been such a coward and had told him the truth about her feelings that night before he'd disappeared, or maybe even sooner before he'd found out the truth about the whole farce. There were so many maybes, could haves, should haves, that it made her want to scream. Even if it was too late to fix things with Gisborn now she was resolved to not act so cowardly again. She didn't want to live her life with such regret again.

She suddenly heard some movement behind her. She knew her brothers were in the house and as it was near dusk she knew this was the time for wolves. There had been some straying into these parts before. She grabbed the staff she'd brought with her down to the river and the empty bucket beside her. Even if she yelled her brothers wouldn't reach her in time. No, she would have to do this herself. The sounds came closer until finally with a yell she turned and smashed the staff downwards even as she swung the bucket upwards.

It was only after the figure fell to the ground groaning that she even realized that it was a man and not an animal. She dropped the bucket, wincing when it hit the man's head.

"Maggie." She knew that voice.

She dropped to her knees and pushed at the man's shoulder trying to pry his hands away from where they cradled his bleeding face. When he finally complied she found herself staring at a rather bruised and bloody yet living Gisborn.

"Guy?"

He nodded, "Remind me never to sneak up on you. I didn't even know you could use a bucket like that. You-"

His words were cut off when Maggie threw herself against his chest. She was too relieved to have him back to even think about her actions or question him on his whereabouts. No the Maggie who was resolved to never act the coward again gave into her impulsive need to kiss him and did so.


	22. Intimate Test of Trust

Despite the surprising amount of pain Maggie had managed to deal out to him moments before, Guy found himself thoroughly enjoying her new "welcome back." The kiss was sudden and the angle was awkward but the significance of it made him inwardly sigh with relief. She wasn't hysterical, didn't appear to be mad, and if the way she wound her arms around his neck as if she never wanted to let him go was any indication on what she truly felt for him then maybe he did have a chance with her after all.

"Maggie." He managed to gasp out against her lips, his hands coming up to cup her cheeks.

They had a lot to discuss and while holding her was certainly exactly what he wanted to do he would much rather do it in a more comfortable setting, say their bedroom. He pulled his head away and placed a finger against her lips when she tried to follow his movements.

"I think perhaps we should go inside." He gave her a playful smile before brushing some hair out of her face.

Maggie remembered where they were and blushed. She pulled away, albeit hesitantly and waited until he was standing before she picked up the discarded bucket and staff. He eyed both objects with a new sense of respect and his expression made her chuckle.

"I really am sorry about hitting you."

Guy shook his head, "No, I can't fault you for protecting yourself. I think I actually feel a bit more at ease now that I know you can wield a bucket so effectively."

Maggie laughed, surprising both herself and Guy. It had been too long since she'd felt light enough to laugh, but having Guy back, no matter where he'd been and why, made her feel like everything could be at peace again. Guy also felt that things might possibly shape up. He hadn't heard Maggie laugh, really if he thought about it, ever. But now that the truth was out he knew that they could move beyond their pasts. Well, the truth as far as they had known it. Now he had more to tell that even he had been unaware of until days before.

"Maggie before we go inside," Guy reached out and took hold of her wrist when they were a few paces from the door, "I need ask you something."

Maggie stopped and turned back to face him. In the ever darkening light she could see the shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep as well as a sudden tenseness about his shoulders that hadn't been there moments before.

"Yes?"

"Can you trust me?" he hesitantly asked.

Maggie was surprised by the sudden question but figured it had stemmed from wherever his thoughts had wandered in the few moments of silence that had passed between them. Could she trust him? He was a broken man and still, as far as she knew, had not regained all his memories. He had hurt her, terribly, but had also received a terrible hurt himself. Could she trust him with her heart, with her family? Maggie took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"I would like to think I can." She gave him a soft smile. "But can you trust me Guy, despite all that my family and I have done to you?"

Guy reached out and traced the back of his hand across her cheek, "I told you before that I understand your motives so yes Maggie, I know I can trust you."

Before either could comment further the door was flung open and all three of her brothers tumbled out, one on top of the other. Tim was the first to throw himself in Guy's arms, Marcus right on his heels. Ben merely took stock of the scene, noting the bloodied face of Gisborn and the bucket and staff in Maggie's hands. He raised an eyebrow in question but Maggie merely shrugged and left Gisborn to fend for himself amidst scrawny arms and jabbering voices.

After Maggie helped clean up the damage she'd made earlier, and after the boys all settled down, Gisborn was able to finally regale them with his tale. Of course Tim laughed at the fact that Gisborn shared a half-brother with his old nemesis Robin, and even Marcus chuckled at that tidbit of information, but both Maggie and Ben appeared to understand the greater significance of that fact.

Even the old Gisborn, with all his imperfections, did not turn against family, at least not easily. Maggie didn't know all the particulars between Guy and his sister Isabella but she was sure he had done whatever he'd done to her with their best interests in mind—best interests at the time of course. Now that Gisborn and Robin shared a half-brother it was less likely that they would take up arms against each other again, though the possibility was not completely negated.

"Where is he now?" Ben asked once Gisborn fell silent.

Guy shrugged, "He rode out of York before we did. He wasn't interested in returning with us."

"From the sounds of it he is a lot like you once were." Marcus commented.

Guy felt his stomach tighten, "I may have been a heartless bastard but I don't think I was ever so…" he couldn't quite find the word to describe his half-brother.

"Mercenary?" Maggie readily supplied a word that she would've described both this Archer and the old Gisborn with. Guy shot her a look and she smiled, "Well you can be content in knowing that you are no longer like that."

Guy sighed. For now he was no longer like that. He couldn't help but wonder what might happen if his memories came back. Would he forget all of this, all of them? He glanced around the table as the boys began to discuss his former less than chivalrous attributes. Would his old memories erase these new ones? Would he even be aware of the change? Or would he retain both his old memories and these as well? Already he could remember his far past, the one involving Robin and the death of their parents, but much further from that and it all grew shadowed. Guy rubbed his hand against his suddenly throbbing head.

"I think it's time we turned in for the night." Maggie had noticed Guy's growing discomfort, either from her brother's merciless recounting of his previous deeds or from the journey itself she didn't know for sure which, but in either case it was growing late and she got the distinct feeling that Guy still had some things he wished to discuss with her.

The boys were reluctant to let the subject go. They were apparently quite enjoying themselves, giving Guy hell about who he used to be. Guy for his part seemed content to let them do so, though he did ruffle Tim's hair and lightly punched Marcus' arm. Ben had kept silent for the most part and nodded to Guy on his way past him. Maggie was sure Ben was more pleased with Guy's reappearance than he let on.

Maggie quickly set about tidying up after the dinner then hesitantly approached the bedroom where Guy had already disappeared into. She didn't know what exactly would be said in there this evening but she got the strange feeling that when she walked out of there again she would be a completely changed woman, and hopefully for the better.

When she opened the door and stepped in she noticed that the room was lit with only the candle on her bedside stand. She also noticed that he had not yet readied his pallet on the floor. Maggie stepped fully into the room, jumping slightly when she heard the door close behind her. She began to turn to face him but was stopped by his hands on her shoulders. She tensed, not knowing what to say or do, or what he would say or do.

"Why are you so nervous, Maggie?" His voice was low and his breath warm as it brushed over her ear causing her to shiver.

She felt him move closer behind her until she felt the warmth from his body through her dress. His hands on her shoulders began to softly knead her muscles, moving up to her neck, then down her arms until his hands finally laced into hers and his chest was pressed fully against her back.

She took a shaky breath, "Many reasons."

Maggie closed her eyes and laid her head back against his shoulder, giving in to the temptation of letting him control the moment. He seemed to sense this as he let go of her hands and reached up and began to softly rub her stomach, his fingers inching up until they rested just below her chest.

"Do you trust me?" He asked for the second time that night.

Her eyes opened. She knew that with one word she could put a stop to this, whatever this was, and could put distance between them. They still had a lot of words unspoken hanging between them that should be said, eventually. But did she really want to stop?

"Yes," she spoke on a sigh, "I trust you Guy."

Guy barely kept his hands from shaking when he heard her sigh his name. Every time she said his name like that, almost as if it were a prayer, he felt redeemed for whatever wrongs he'd ever committed. He reached up and slowly began to untie the laces of her bodice. He wasn't trying to push for a consummation of their up till recently false marriage. He was just trying to speak to her in a language he knew instinctively. He couldn't always trust words but he knew he could trust his instinct.

Once the bodice was unlaced he slowly drew it off her shoulders and dropped it to the floor. When he stepped up behind her again he placed a kiss on the back of her neck, smiling when he felt her shiver against him. He set about untying the top of her dress, careful not to move too quickly. He knew that she trusted him but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Up till now she seemed content to let him lead out.

"I thought about you when I was gone." He whispered into her ear, placing a kiss just below it.

She nodded, "I thought about you too."

He stepped around her and knelt down. She opened her eyes and watched him as he pulled one of her feet up into his lap and began to unlace her shoe. She knew that she should probably stop this, since it would be difficult to have a serious conversation whilst completely naked, but at the same time she felt that he was doing all this in order to have a serious conversation. And so, despite her slight misgivings, she kept silent and calm as he removed first one shoe then the other.

As he stood up he pulled the hem of her dress with him until when he was standing at full height the bottom of her gown was at her hips. She shivered, noticing a soft smile on his lips when he noticed the shiver.

"I thought about what I've been told about my past," he kissed her forehead then stepped back just enough to pull the dress over her head, leaving her clad only in her thin chemise, "and about the man I used to be."

All she could do was nod in response. She didn't know where he was going with either his words or actions but she'd said she trusted him and she would prove her trust by not questioning him.

"I also thought about my future." He took hold her hands and placed them against his chest.

She looked from his face down to her hands then back up at his face. He nodded his permission, his eyes bright with desire. Maggie swallowed as she hesitantly began to untie his shirt. He kept his hands at his sides until she was finished then compliantly lifted his arms to help her pull the shirt over his head. Once the shirt was off she dropped her hands to her sides again, unsure of what to do.

"About our future." He picked up her hands and placed them against his chest.

She knew what he wanted to her to do. He wanted her to feel the freedom to touch him that he felt to touch her. He wanted her to trust him enough to open to him. She realized now that this act of undressing each other was his way of opening himself to her. It was his wordless method of conveying to her how much he did trust her and by undressing her he was testing how much she trusted him.

With this sudden revelation she smiled as her fingers began to slowly explore his taut skin, stretched across firm muscles. He was so warm and so alive. She could barely believe that he was actually here with her in this manner.

He let her explore a bit longer, content for the moment with a mere exploration. He didn't want to rush her. However he didn't have the patience of saint; so when her fingers traced lower on his stomach right into the junction beside his hip bone he shivered and stilled her hands with his own. He shivered again when her eyes met his, her gaze mirroring his own.

"I want to have a future with you Maggie." His voice was husky enough that he had to swallow before he could speak again. "I know that is much to ask and perhaps I am being selfish in asking it but that is what I want."

Maggie felt her whole body flush with warmth. She suddenly felt the need to sit down and so backed away from him enough to settle onto the edge of the bed. Guy followed, his eyes never leaving hers. He moved cautiously, as if he were dealing with a cornered animal.

"I know I have caused you and your family much pain in the past and that alone should condemn me, but I have also committed atrocious deeds aside from my treatment of you, most of which I still am not aware of, and that further condemns me." He knelt down in front of her and took hold of one of her hands. "I am not a whole man; I have no full memory and from what I've been told I am an outlaw, no different than Robin Hood. As such I have nothing to offer you except myself. I am no farmer; all I've ever known is how to fight, I am aware of this now. I have no position of power nor do I have any means of income."

Maggie felt her heart constrict at the severity of his words.

"I don't deserve the tenderness and forgiveness you've bestowed upon me however, I must still be a bit of the bastard I used to be because I don't want to lose what you've given me. I want to keep everything I have now and much more."

She finally found her voice, "What are you saying Guy?" She felt tears brim in her eyes. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"I want you to know exactly what you're getting," he brushed away one of the tears that had already fallen down her cheek, "if you choose to take me."

"Guy," she felt herself begin to tremble, "what do you mean?"

He leaned forward and kissed away another tear then whispered against her skin, "Marry me."


	23. A Reasonable Leap

Maggie blinked a few times then shook her head as if to clear it. Guy leaned back so he could watch her reaction. He didn't exactly know where that had come from. When he started this he hadn't expected to ask her that but now that he'd asked it he knew that was exactly what he wanted. Even if he was a broken man he found himself becoming whole because of her. He may not know exactly what his future held for him but he knew he wanted her to be a part of it.

"You," her voice was shaky, "want me to marry you?"

He moved to sit directly beside her, "Yes Maggie I do. I realize even more strongly now that even though my future is a giant blank slate I want you there with me, helping me put it together." He sighed then, his shoulders dropping a notch or two. "I have no right asking you this when again I have nothing to offer you except myself and uncertainty."

Maggie's brain took a few moments to catch up with what he was saying and once she realized what all had been said she finally smiled and reached for him, taking his hands in her own. He looked back to her, more vulnerable to her than he'd ever been with anyone else—of that he was very certain.

"The uncertainty is not an issue, at least not to me. What concerns me is your happiness."

He frowned, "What do you mean? I thought you knew."

"What was I supposed to know?" She smiled despite the confusion; apparently they'd both been expecting the other to naturally know what the other was thinking and feeling.

"You, Maggie, make me happy. Even though I don't have anything to compare it to, I honestly believe you make me feel more content and happy than anyone else ever has."

Maggie swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat, "So you believe that despite the fact that you've lived a life hard life and luxurious life, and despite the fact that you've been a fighter for the majority of your days, you feel that you could be content with a simple life here with us?"

Guy wondered for a moment if she was saying this because she didn't feel the same for him as he did for her but then he felt her hands trembling against his. She was trying to remain realistic and he couldn't fault her for that. They'd already been through so much in their brief time together he couldn't fault her for trying to protect both her heart and his.

"As long as I'm with you Maggie I believe I can be content with whatever life brings me." He traced her jaw line and drew closer to her. "Please, Maggie, say you'll be with me. Even if you don't want to marry me please let us build a future together."

Maggie watched the emotions play across Guy's face. She was in love, that was the honest truth. Things had moved so quickly and she couldn't pinpoint where she'd started falling in love with him but she had. There were many reasons for them to not be together, perhaps more reasons against than for their joining, and yet here they sat despite those odds.

Maggie raised a shaky hand and traced the contours of his face, over his brow, across his cheek, down his jaw line, further down his neck across his pulse, until she finally allowed her hand to rest against his heart. His heart was racing in time with her own. This was one of the big moments in life that she was either going to stay on the cliff where things made sense or she was going to leap into something that could promise immense beauty and pleasure or destroy her completely.

"I never planned this." She found herself saying as she continued to stare at her hand placed over his heart. "I never expected to fall in love with you or for you to ever forgive me once you found out the truth." She finally looked up and met his gaze. "I don't want you to think that I don't want to be with you because I do," she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, "I so dearly want to be with you."

His jaw tightened, "I am sensing a 'but' coming."

"I don't want to hold you back." She felt her throat tighten and she had to look down, her hand dropping back into her lap. "Even though you have become a different man I don't think you'll ever find complete peace unless you reconcile who you are now with whom you once were and that means discovering all your old memories, facing the demons of you past, and then deciding what you want. If I married you and then you remembered everything and you no longer felt the same towards me where would we be?"

Her words made sense but Guy didn't want to hear sense. He reached out and grabbed hold of her shoulders. When she still continued to stare at her hands in her lap he used one of his hands to tip her chin up until her eyes met his again.

"If me not marrying you now still means that I can stay then I'm willing to accept that." He smoothed her hair back from her face. "Maggie I just want to be with you, in any fashion you approve. While I would prefer marriage and family, I will accept whatever you offer. What you've said makes sense and I don't fault you for your caution but I'm asking you to not bare me completely from your heart because of that. It could take years before all my memories come back and if that is true then we will have wasted years of our lives."

Maggie sighed. He too had a point. She had resolved earlier to not act the coward ever again and yet here so was trying to be reasonable about this. He loved her, even if he hadn't exactly said it out rightly, and she loved him, and she had said it. It was true that they didn't know when, or if, he would regain his memories. It was also true that they didn't know exactly what the future held for them both. And yet, when she was with him she felt like she home and he'd said he was happiest with her than ever before. What was the harm then? If she said yes and further down the road his memories returned and he spurned her, her heart would be crushed and it would take time for her to recover. But that was it, she would recover with time. She had never believed that one could die of a broken heart.

"Guy," she took a deep breath and slowly let it out, "I will not marry you," she felt him tense and so quickly continued, "yet."

He lowered his hands to grasp hers, "So what are you offering?"

"I want you stay here, be a part of our family, make this your home." She reached out and cupped his face with her hands, a soft smile on her lips. "Be my friend, my confidant, my aid and support."

"Nothing more then?" He frowned and started to pull away. "I want to be here, with you and the boys, and I will not go back on my word and scoff at your offering, but is there nothing more that you and I can share?"

Maggie felt her heart tighten again, as if she were about to fall off a tightrope, "I offer you my love and I ask for yours in return." She gave another smile. "Is that enough?"

His lips sealing themselves against hers answered the question. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, pulling her into his lap. She wound her arms around his neck, her hands diving into his hair and anchoring his head in place against hers. He kissed her as if he was trying to drawn her very soul into his being, and she returned the favor. Only the necessity of air caused them to break apart.

As they panted, their faces close together, Maggie opened her eyes to find Guy smiling at her.

"That is more than enough Maggie," he kissed her softly this time, "more than I could've ever dreamed of receiving."

"And you are more than I ever hoped for." She kissed him softly as well.

He shuddered at her words, completely humbled by her love and trust. He carefully laid her back against the pillows and stood. He took off his boots and trousers before climbing into bed beside her. He knew that tonight would not be the night to consummate their love. He knew Maggie enough to know that she would prefer marriage first. And so he was content enough to hold her safely in his arms until they both fell asleep, at peace.


	24. Plans Set in Motion

Having been able to get everything out into the open, finally, Maggie and Guy decided to tell the boys the decision they'd come to the following morning. They did this because they knew the boys had a right to know, and also they wanted their honest opinions about the possibility of having Guy as a permanent fixture around the farm.

Neither of them were prepared to the ruckus the boys made in response. Tim all but bodily launched himself into Guy's arms while Marcus set about listing all the obvious signs the boys had seen all along that this day would inevitably occur—he said all this in a high pitched greatly excited voice of course. Even Ben let out a whoop of approval and gave Guy a firm handshake then a brief hug.

At first Guy had been a bit overwhelmed by all the warmth and honest affection the boys now offered him. Even if he didn't have all his memories he was almost certain that at no time in his past did he ever have this sort of relationship with his parents or family. It would take some getting used to, he knew that, and it would be a struggle to resist the temptation to pull back out of fear of the unknown. But as he sat there watching Maggie's face beam when she spoke with her brothers about the new routines to be made and the changes that would have to happen in order to properly incorporate him into their lives, he knew that the decision he'd made had been the right one. Not exactly an easy one but definitely the right one.

Maggie felt his eyes on her and immediately turned towards him, shooting him a bright smile. She still couldn't believe that he'd been so willing to work with her and not against her. So used to the man he'd been before, she'd expected his anger—though she had gotten a bit of that before—and his rejection—and she'd gotten that too—but had not given him the benefit of the doubt and expected this willingness to compromise. It thrilled her to no end.

Having him sit there beside her at the table, the boys still chattering excitedly across from them, she found herself in awe of the situation. How differently this all could have been? The possibilities were endless she knew, and so she was even more thankful for this outcome. In a way, they had defied the fates that had been dealt to them and together were both attempting to forge new ones. It was going to be difficult but it would be worth it in the end.

"All right," Guy finally spoke up after a few minutes of chatter, "I think we need to get back to building the additional room. What do you think?" He smiled over at the boys even as he reached under the table and took hold of Maggie's hand.

The boys cheered and almost immediately crawled over themselves in their hurry to get outside and back to work. There would be no more "accidents" now that they knew Guy wasn't a bastard. Well perhaps he was still a bastard at times, but at least he was now a bastard who obviously loved their sister and desired to stick around for a good, long while.

"Thank you." Maggie leaned over and pressed a light kiss against his cheek.

Guy turned his head and caught her lips against his, deepening the kiss beyond chaste for only a moment before he pulled back. He brought his hands up to cup her face.

"It is I who could spend the rest of my life thanking you Maggie." He kissed the tip of her nose. "And I want to do that Maggie," he smiled down at her, "spend the rest of my life with you."

Maggie grinned, "Well then, you best get started." She stood up and gestured towards the door. "I do believe you faithful followers are waiting for your command."

Guy laughed before moving past her and out into the sunshine. The boys were indeed eagerly waiting for him. Guy chuckled for a moment before he clapped his hands and together they all set to work. He was excited about the future they were all forming together however, somewhere deep inside his mind, he knew that this peace and contentment would not last. He knew something was bound to go wrong, and soon. He couldn't pinpoint why he knew that, but he had that nagging fear in his mind. He desperately hoped that that fear never came to fruition though.

It was with this thought in mind that he went about his work.

Nottingham

"I still don't understand why I had to be paired with you of all people." Kate growled when she was pushed back against Allan due to the market crowd.

Allan smiled to himself at having Kate so close but replied just as haughtily, "This isn't my idea of a great partnership either. Much could probably carry on a better conversation than you any day."

Kate glared over her shoulder before giving a sniff and focusing again on getting to their assigned position. She would never admit it to his face, at least not willingly, but she knew Allan was not the complete arsehole that she'd originally thought. She'd seen that he did actually have a sense of honor and was someone to rely on in a tight pinch. He also had a sense of humor and she wasn't a complete ninny, she had noticed that he did small favors for her without even mentioning them. She just didn't want to bring them up because then she'd be admitting to the fact that she watched him from time to time, when she wasn't with Robin of course.

"Hey!" She rubbed her elbow after an ox cart suddenly jostled against it.

"Let me look at that." Allan reached for her elbow almost instantly.

She jerked away as if on fire, "Its fine. Don't worry about it."

He glared at her for a moment then shrugged and moved past her. Allan did his best not to look over his shoulder to ensure her following. Sometimes he honestly didn't understand why he was attracted to such a stubborn, fiery, independent woman in the first place. She was offensive, impulsive, and downright rude. And yet he found himself drawn towards her. But, he sighed, she was currently with Robin anyway and he wasn't about to challenge Robin for her hand—that would just be embarrassing. She would more than likely never even look in his direction even if she were free. Early on in their relationship she'd made it abundantly clear what she thought of him—and he could recall some of the more stinging comments even now—and he was certain that had only changed slightly in the time they'd worked together since.

"They said to wait until dusk before we did anything right?" She moved closer to his side in order to whisper.

Before he could answer another cart, this one pulled by angry horses, came rushing towards them. He reacted immediately; grabbing hold of Kate's shoulders and twirling her around to press her body against the wall behind them, crowding close in order to avoid getting hit as well.

"What are you-" she stopped protesting when the cart crashed by, spraying a layer of mud onto Allan's back and, since she'd been struggling against his arms, she'd exposed her face and mouth and now sported a brown, mud-caked face and a mouthful as well.

Instead of offering an explanation or a sleeve for help Allan laughed, "Bloody well serves you right." He didn't want to but he knew he should probably step away from her right about then.

However, for the moment, Kate seemed to be distracted by the mud in her mouth and on her face. Allan remained fairly close as she spit out the mud and proceeded to call him all sorts of foul names as she tried to wipe off the mud, but only succeeded in smearing it around more. When she appeared done ranting for the time it would take her to finally catch a breath, Allan stepped closer, causing her to move back against the wall again, as he pulled up the hem of his shirt and wordlessly began to wipe off her face.

Kate had been ready to protest again, even physically push him away, but then perhaps it had been the sudden gentility of his expression or the way he was so careful about getting the mud off her skin; she could only stand there dumbly until he was finished. Even then she didn't venture to speak for fear of breaking this rather odd but not altogether unpleasant spell they both seemed to be under.

Allan couldn't believe that Kate had remained silent and still while he'd indulged in his impulsive desire to touch her albeit innocently. The fact that she continued to stand and stare at him in wide-eyed wonder gave him enough pause to contemplate whether or not she hated him nearly as much as she tried to let on. Perhaps, should she ever decide to leave Robin, there was some form of hope for him.

"We, uh, should get going." She finally spoke, her voice lower than normal.

Allan nodded, "I'm sure the others are about in position as well."

After a moment longer he finally stepped away and gestured for her to move past him. She paused to study him then shrugged and hurried on. Allan shook his head as he followed close behind. This spitfire of a woman was more than likely going to be the death of him.

However, they didn't have to go far before yet another procession of horses and carts required that they stop. They both avoided looking too much at the other as they waited, neither one of them really felt "normal" at the moment anyway. Kate was the one who noticed one of Isabella's men escorting a tall dark haired man towards the end of the passing group.

"Do you recognize that man?" She broke the shaky silence between them as she subtly pointed towards the pair of horsemen.

Allan shook his head as he studied the passing men, "No but I've got a bad feeling about that guy. If Isabella is with him then that doesn't bode well for us does it?"

"No, it doesn't." Kate frowned, craning her neck to continue watching the two until they passed into the inner keep of the castle.

"Come on, we should hurry." Allan tugged on her sleeve to get her attention and waited until she turned towards him again before he moved off with her close behind.

Meanwhile elsewhere in Nottingham

"You did that on purpose didn't you?" Bradley spoke low so only Ash could hear.

Ash continued to munch on her apple, staring out at the passersby's from her seat at the outdoor tavern table, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, I know you Ash." Bradley kicked her foot under the table. "You do that on purpose didn't you?"

"Did he do what on purpose?" Robin sat down then, handing Bradley and Ash their mugs of beer while keeping one for himself.

Bradley continued speaking as if Robin hadn't said anything, "You purposefully paired Allan with Kate didn't you?"

Robin's face twisted into one of confusion, nearly making Ash choke on her bite of apple. Was the man really that daft to not realize that Allan had the biggest torch burning for Kate? Perhaps Robin really was so arrogant and his head was stuck so far up his own arse that he never saw the light of day, or the light of love in Allan's eyes for Kate.

"What are you talking about?" Robin broke Ash's rather amusing train of thought.

"It's so obvious, Robin, that Allan has tender feelings for Kate." Ash purposefully sounded condescending, as if explaining to a child why they couldn't stay up all night.

Robin shook his head, "He's never said anything about it."

"Of course he'll never admit it or do anything about it because for whatever reason Kate seems to think that you're the one for her." Ash didn't mince words to be polite, she'd never done so before and wouldn't start now. "Allan will not challenge your authority even in this matter. As a former thief he understands the unspoken social codes among comrades and going after your leader's lass is one of the biggest no no's out there."

"You would know." Bradley added under his breath, earning a kick from Ash as a result.

Robin still didn't look convinced and so nursed his ale in silence as he mulled over the new information. Ash was quite happy to have been the one to knock Robin's world off its axis, at least for a few minutes. The man was quite infuriating at times. Impulsive, self-centered, selfish, and unobservant about the most delicate of things—emotions, he reminded her of Archer in many ways. As such she couldn't help but wonder if more than a few of the more annoying traits about both men were in fact inherited.

If such traits could be inherited that would explain why she too retained the less desirable qualities of irrational anger when pushed too far, a general sense of superiority towards those less skilled than herself, and a similar character defect of arrogance such that Robin had—she loathed to admit that she had something in common with him. She knew these negative qualities about herself—Bradley certainly never let her forget any of the aforementioned items—and she knew that if she were a truly mature adult she would seek to grow beyond her defects. However, that was another character default, she didn't seek to grow in any other area beyond seeking to outdo everyone else.

"Bloody hell." Bradley suddenly cursed beside her, his entire body stiffening. When she turned to him he motioned towards the roadway that led deeper into the castle. She followed his gaze and similarly stiffened when she caught a glimpse of Archer.

"What is it?" Robin glanced over his shoulder, completely missing sight his half-brother.

Since she hadn't admitted earlier to having known Archer in any fashion, knowing that would only bring more attention to herself and her less than admirable past, she couldn't very well tell Robin that she'd just seen his half-brother.

"Just saw one of Isabella's men," Robin raised his eyebrows and Ash shrugged, "well it would've been nice to have one less enemy to face, you know, just in case."

Ash could tell that Robin was less than convinced by her excuse but didn't offer anything else, thankful when Robin in turn didn't press. When Robin stood to get another pint Ash took the time to turn to Bradley.

"Okay so lets just assume that that was Archer."

"You know it was."

Ash waved her hand in the air, "In any case, given what we know of that bastard-"

"I'm sensing some latent hostility now surfacing."

"Bradley," Ash growled, "shut it."

Bradley smiled, "You were saying?"

"Given what we know of Archer I think we can safely assume that he is here to sell Robin and his men out to Isabella."

"But he doesn't know that we're all here in Nottingham, and he doesn't know where their camp is." Bradley shook his head.

"He knows what Robin's master plan is though, and that he and Gisborn are working together now. That is valuable information and could deem quite dangerous to Robin, and us since he's helping us for the time being."

Bradley nodded, reaching up to stroke his beard, "So what are you suggesting we do about that? He's already on his way to see Isabella right now."

Ash looked up to see Robin returning, "I want you to head out towards Callow and see who you can recruit. Try and be back here in two days time."

"You really think it's going to get that bad? Are you sure you want to call in that favor just because you saw-"

"Yes," Ash cut him off, "Only chaos follows that man and I have a very bad feeling that destruction is going to be close behind him also."

Bradley sighed, "All right, if you say so. Do you want me to wait until after we get the records or go now?"

"Go now. The sooner the better."

"What about Robin?" Bradley began to whisper now that Robin was drawing close.

"I'll figure something out. Now go."

Robin sat down just as Bradley stood up. Robin raised his eyebrows, "Where are you off to?"

"I asked him to head towards London to make sure the other records got to my employer." Ash cut in before Bradley could reply.

"Why now? Shouldn't we wait until after tonight?" Robin looked highly suspicious.

Bradley shook his head, "You lot have it covered. With Tuck and Little John covering the drawbridge, Allan and Kate handling the keep gate, you and Ash doing the actual retrieval, that leaves me up in the air about as much as Much is."

It was true; Much was tagging alongside Tuck and John, but had not exactly been assigned a specific job. Tuck and Little John were positioned to make sure that if the alarm was raised they were still ensured of a safe escape from Nottingham while Allan and Kate were positioned near the inner keep gate for similar reasons. Each had hidden weapons in case of a skirmish as well.

"See you in a few days then." Robin nodded to Bradley, not believing the excuses either Ash or Bradley fed him but figuring the truth would come out in due time.

Bradley nodded to him then Ash before moving off towards his horse. Robin eyed the small man sitting across the table from him. Ash certainly knew how to retain secrets and keep him off target. Robin hated to admit it but the slight creature was probably about as elusive as himself, but definitely more devious. He was glad that they weren't enemies, at least not for the moment, but though Ash was small he certainly made a frustrating enemy.

"Now we wait." He commented before taking a gulp of ale.

Ash smirked, "We've been waiting."

"Care to trade stories to pass the time?"

"Do I look like I want to try to one up each other with stories of daring adventures and dangerous feats?"

Robin smiled, "Yes, you do."

"You seem to be getting to know me better." Ash allowed a genuine smile to cross her features before launching into a mostly true but slightly fabricated story of a time she faced a band of cutthroat Turks whilst in the Holy Land.


	25. Royal Intrigue

Inside Nottingham Castle

"My brother is working with Robin Hood?" Isabella sneered at the man before her. "Impossible. They despise each other beyond reason."

"That is the exact reason why their partnership will prove to be fatal to your forces, your ladyship," Archer gave one of his better debonair smiles, "they are counting on your disbelief for an debilitating element of surprise."

Isabella studied him more closely. She couldn't trust him, that was a clear as the sky outside. He appeared to have the smooth talking arrogance that Robin had while at the same time she sensed a willingness to betray inside him that her brother had. A man with qualities of both Robin and Guy, now that was a worthy enemy. It was also a man whom she didn't want near her seat of power.

"Did they tell you what they were planning on doing before you left them?" She stood up from her chair and paced closer to him.

Archer continued to smile, "They mentioned King Richard and saving England from the corruption of Prince John, but I never caught much more than those fallible dreams. Though they did mention something about this castle amongst themselves."

"I don't suppose they told you where their camp was located?" Isabella stood directly in front of him, her head tipped back as she stared into his eyes.

"I would of course tell you if I knew, Sheriff, however I was never privy to that information. All I remember them mentioning was the family name O' Connor in connection with your brother."

Isabella frowned, casting an eye towards one of her men. He nodded and immediately left the room. She would track down all the O' Connors in the vicinity. Her brother had evaded justice long enough. With Vasey arriving within a day at the most she was assured of the resources required to not only hunt down her brother but also Robin Hood. She was eagerly looking forward to watching both men die.

"Thank you." She turned and walked back towards her chair.

"I am honored to have been of service to you, Sheriff. I hope that my information has pleased you enough to render me a small gift of appreciation." Archer sensed that he was pressing his luck, but since he was already in her court and more than likely he would be sent to the dungeons, he figured he'd voice his true desires.

Isabella laughed, "Your gift shall be your neck. You get to keep it for now." She gestured to her soldiers. "Take him to the dungeon and lock him up," she glared at him, "and keep him under guard."

"Pleasure doing business with you." Archer drawled as the men dragged him away.

He knew this would happen, it always did. He would never trust women, not a one of them. They were useful, and yes they did bring a bit of spice and pleasure to life, but they were not trustworthy. He'd had his share of romances, some better than others, and he could pinpoint the exact romance that had set him on this course of distrust. Of course, he would not name that particular lady, or a better description would be vixen, and he would not dwell on those memories.

Isabella watched her men drag him away with a smirk, "Thomas," the man stepped forward, "double the guard on all the walls and have some of your men search the town for any sign of Robin or his men."

"Yes, Sheriff." He bowed and left the room.

"Sheriff," her other man came back holding a scroll, "There are only three families in this district with the surname O' Connor."

"Take a group of soldiers and go to each of those homes. Look for my brother and bring him back to me." She looked up at the man, "Alive is preferable."

As he too left, Isabella folded her hands in her lap and allowed a genuine smile. The pieces were falling into place and soon her complete revenge would be had.

London, England

"But your majesty I do not think-"

"You are my advisor and I am old enough to be your grandmother," Eleanor ground out, "you are not here to think for me, you are here to suggest to me. Now, I want this letter delivered to my son as soon as I depart, and not before."

The man looked down at his feet as he received the letter, "What will you have me tell him when he asks where you have gone?"

"Tell him I have gone to retrieve his brother and king."

Her advisor's head snapped up so violently she was surprised it didn't come clear off. She hid her amusement when she saw the fear in his eyes. The poor man was as much of a coward as John had shown himself to be when the barons had cornered him. She knew John would send men after her and try to stop her but it was about time that he took action of some sort beyond hedonistic pleasure seeking.

She knew Richard was as much of a selfish prat as John, just with a larger ego, and she also knew that John was much more of a tightwad than Richard and so would benefit the kingdom more financially—she was their mother and so was justified in understanding the less than lovely traits that each of her sons held. Because of this understanding, she actually didn't particularly care who was on the throne—though John would benefit England more than Richard in a financial sense. She just wanted the one son out of custody and the other to take action beyond himself. If that meant undermining John and airing out some dirty laundry on certain nobles, then so be it. She'd lived a long enough life within the intrigue of royal life to know that sometimes risks had to be made, even when one knew they'd be caught.

"But your majesty-"

Eleanor stood up to her full height and gave him her deepest frown, "You will follow my command or be killed."

He immediately looked back down to his feet and nodded, "Yes your majesty."

"Now go arrange my departure, I want to leave immediately."

He nodded and backed out of the room. She knew he would deliver the letter before she left, she was counting on that. She would play along with him for as long as possible but once cornered she couldn't wait to see John's face when she eluded to the dirt she had on his nobles. He would crave the money the blackmail would reap for himself, but what he wouldn't know is that she'd already sent out the notices to the nobles that she could blackmail, along with collectors to collect the money on site. By the time John got involved, the money should be on its way to Germany and before John realized it Richard should be on his way home again.

But again that was only if they got enough money. She realized the records in Nottingham contained at least a half dozen more noble's names, and that would guarantee more money collected, but she couldn't wait any longer. Richard had languished long enough, perhaps even learning how to be more humble—though that was unlikely—and John had run without a proper reining in for just as long. It was time for a change, for her sake and for the sake of England.


	26. An Unwelcome Surprise

Sherwood Homestead

"Tim." Maggie studied her younger brother from across the table.

"Yeah?" he began to reach for his bowl of soup.

"I do believe I see dirt still caked on your fingers."

Tim stared at his hands then smiled over at Maggie, "So you do."

"When have you ever been able to sit down and eat dinner with dirty hands?" Maggie raised her eyebrows at him.

Tim sighed, "Never."

Guy reached over and ruffled the boy's hair, "That's okay Tim, I'll come with you." He winked at Maggie before standing and heading towards the door.

Tim's demeanor brightened significantly as he bounced out the door ahead of Guy, already excitedly chattering about absolutely nothing in particular. Marcus shook his head as he began to eat. Ben merely shrugged.

"So how much longer before the addition will be ready?" Maggie dished out another bowl for when Guy returned.

"Maybe a month or so." Ben spoke between mouthfuls. "Gisborn still isn't the best craftsman though."

"And he's even worse with cows." Marcus added, completely serious.

Maggie was glad she hadn't had food in her mouth for she surely would've choked on it at Marcus' comment. Maggie could just picture Guy trying to convince a cow that he was qualified to milk her. Her eyes danced with merriment as she continued to chuckle at the mental image.

"But obviously everyone survived today." Maggie finally spoke again, gaining control of her amusement.

Ben nodded and Marcus shrugged. It had been a long and exhausting day, but Maggie could see clearly that the boys were even more at ease with Guy now that their future together was more settled. Even she had gone through the day much more at peace inside herself. Of course there were many unknowns, and dangers, involved but just the knowledge that Guy loved her and wanted to be with her made everything else seem trivial.

Suddenly the door flew open and Tim fell inside. Maggie stood up, her brothers quickly following.

"Someofthesheriff'smen-" Tim gushed out as he rolled over and began to stand.

He was interrupted by Guy hurrying in after him, "Some soldiers are heading this way."

Maggie felt her heart stop. Just when everything had started to come together…

"They'll recognize Guy." Marcus turned to Ben.

"What should we do?" Ben turned to Maggie.

Maggie stared across the room at Guy, silently imploring him to come up with some miracle. He only clenched his jaw and began to look trapped. Maggie turned her gaze to Tim, who also looked like a trapped animal. They didn't have enough time to hide Guy, stash his stuff, and look "normal." Because of this they were going to have to come up with a story—oh where was Ash when she was needed?—and it had better be a good one.

"Do not take any responsibility for my being here." Guy finally spoke, ushering Tim towards the table. "When the soldiers come you may all honestly answer that you found me beside the river and took me in."

"What about the time that's gone by? Wouldn't they be suspicious that perhaps we've kept you here against your will?" Ben cut in.

Guy frowned, "We'll tell them that one of my legs was injured severely and I've only recently regained the ability to walk."

"But we have a horse and a cart, we could've taken you to town in that and-"

Maggie held up her hand and cut off Marcus before he could worry himself further, "We will merely answer the questions they give us. There is no need to panic more than we already are. Now come sit down and start eating." When the boys remained as they were she sighed, "Please."

They finally complied, with Guy coming over and sitting beside her. After he sat he reached under the table and took hold of her hand, holding it tightly within his own. Maggie wasn't about to admit to her brothers how scared she really was, but she didn't mind conveying a bit of that fear to Guy through her trembling grip.

They quietly ate, or at least pretended to eat, until the door shook from a heavy knock. Maggie turned to Guy. There was no going back now. As soon as she opened the door, their dream would never be the same. Perhaps it would never become a reality. She could tell that he was thinking the same thing; she could see the fears racing behind his eyes. Maggie reached out and traced his jaw line, forcing out a soft smile. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his ear, whispering, "Before I open that door I want you to know that I love you."

Guy nodded and pulled back just enough to stare into her eyes, "And I you." He kissed her fiercely, wanting neither of them to ever forget the feel of the other's lips, then pulled back and allowed her to stand.

The door shook again with another, louder, knock. Maggie barely kept herself from shaking as she made her way over.

"Good evening." Her voice wobbled a little in her greeting but for the most part it carried off fine.

The gruff looking soldier did not greet her back, "We have orders from the Sheriff to search your farm." He began to push past her, ignoring her protests. When he caught sight of Gisborn sitting at the table with the boys, the soldier frowned. He turned back to Maggie, "You are under arrest."

Maggie feigned surprise, "What for?"

"For kidnapping Sir Guy of Gisborn."

Guy stood up, "These people have not held me here against my will."

"You, Sir Guy," the soldier turned a sneer upon Guy, "are under arrest as well. For treasonous acts against Prince John."

Chaos erupted then as the remaining soldiers poured in and seized them all. The table was over turned in the scuffle and one of the soldiers received a bloody nose from Guy's elbow, but within minutes they were all tied and lead away from the homestead behind the soldiers.

Nottingham

"Do you think they've started?"

Tuck glanced over at John and watched as the man rolled his eyes and gripped his staff harder. Tuck smiled to himself before turning towards Much.

"Started what?"

Much's made a wild gesture with his hands, "You know." Tuck raised his eyebrows and so Much continued. "The thieving."

"Ssh." John glared at him. "Why don't you say that louder so the guards can hear you next time?" He pointed his staff at the guards near the front gate."

"Sorry" Much sheepishly looked down and was quiet for a brief moment before he looked up and gestured again, "Well do you think they have?"

Tuck smiled, "They said they would wait until dusk before they began."

Much nodded, again looking bored. He kicked at the dirt with his feet as he gazed out at the road leading into Nottingham. It was late afternoon so they still had some time. He sighed and barely kept himself from standing up to pace. He always got the bum job, and that was a fact. Even with this plan, he didn't have a specified job, just was a body to take up space.

Much sighed again, barely managing to duck when he heard more than saw John thrust his staff in his head's direction. He was just about to complain when his eyes caught sight of movement coming down the road towards the town. Of course people had been coming and going all day but this was different. This was a large group of soldiers and horsemen. Much stood and moved closer to the road, doing his best to look casual as he studied the coming procession. When he suddenly recognized the leader of the procession he felt his stomach fall through the earth.

"No, no, no, no, no, no." Much backed up into John and fell backwards onto the ground, bouncing back up to his feet almost immediately.

"What is it?" John glared at his friend before moving to see what Much had seen.

"Well?" Tuck questioned when he noticed John's entire body stiffen.

"Either it's a trick or that's a ghost." John moved to stand near Much, his eyes wide.

"What do you mean?" Tuck studied his friends with concern before turning to look at the road.

He didn't have to wait long before former Sheriff Vasey and a very large group of armed men marched onto the drawbridge. Tuck sucked in a harsh breath. So Gisborn hadn't killed Vasey after all. Either Gisborn was a liar or he too had been tricked. Tuck moved to step back but then stopped. He hissed through his teeth when he spotted the O' Connor family and Gisborn being lead towards Vasey. He couldn't hear the exchange that was made between Vasey and Gisborn, though he could see even from this distance that Gisborn appeared shaken but confused over the encounter. When Vasey and his entourage began to move again, Tuck stepped back to join his friends.

"We have to tell Robin." Much whispered as the three of them did their best to hide their faces as Vasey rode past.

"But how? He and Ash are probably already in position by now."

Tuck looked out at the men marching past, "We should go find Kate and Allan and warn them to stay out of sight."

John and Much nodded. They waited until the procession had passed before slipping down an alleyway and hurrying deeper into the city.


	27. Into the Dungeons

Nottingham 

Kate glanced down the road towards the main gate. They'd been waiting there for some time now, and she was starting to get more than a little antsy. She looked back over her shoulder at Allan, "It is about time isn't it?"

"Perhaps," Allan didn't look up from where he sat on a barrel whittling at a piece of wood. He'd taken up the whittling to keep himself from trying to converse or otherwise engage Kate. In the past few hours every time he had attempted to do otherwise resulted in either his own bruised ego or yet another awkward silence between them, during which they were both painfully aware of the other in a new light.

Kate frowned at the thief. He'd withdrawn, again, and she was frustrated to know why. Sometimes he was so forthright and then other times he was more puzzling than any man she'd ever met before, including Robin. She sighed and turned her gaze back to the road. When she caught sight of a large procession heading their way she turned towards Allan again.

"I see someone coming this way."

Allan continued to whittle, "There have been lots of people coming this way, Kate."

Kate kicked some dirt at him, quite satisfied when a large clump landed on the barrel between his legs. He glared up at her, his eyes full of promised retribution. For a split second, Kate had the fleeting thought that she wouldn't exactly mind his form of retribution, but then reason came back and she banished the idea.

"Just come here."

Allan took his time in putting away his knife and tossing away the stick. When he joined her, he made sure to feign a stumble, which resulted in her getting knocked back towards the side of the building they stood next too. She growled at him but he only smiled to himself as he peered down the road. At first, the sun glinting off armor made it difficult to make out individuals within the group. Then one face became clear and Allan felt his stomach flip. If they were seen Allan knew they would be thrown into the dungeon, no questions asked. Vasey knew who he was, and would more than likely remember that Kate was now part of their gang also.

"Well," Kate began to come close again, "Who is it?"

Allan stiffened as both Vasey and Kate drew closer. They didn't have time to run down an alleyway, not that there were any close by anyway. They would have to improvise. Allan didn't have time to explain things though, and only hoped that Kate would be compliant. Impulsively resolved, Allan turned and quickly backed Kate up against the wall.

"What are you doing?" Kate yelped.

Allan didn't answer with words but instead pressed his lips against hers, silencing her. At first Kate was too stunned to react. Images of their previous interactions came back to her and she began to realize more and more that she actually found Allan attractive. She liked the feel of his lips against hers. It felt different than Robin's, perhaps rawer and more intense, but she liked that. His hands on her shoulders had at first been rough but now they began to soften slightly. The longer she stood there, which in all reality was only a matter of moments, the more she understood that, had he asked her for this kiss, she probably would not have protested all that much. However, he hadn't asked, neither had he answered her question, therefore he had no right to kiss her. Especially not since she was still technically with Robin.

Kate jerked her head away and began to push at Allan's chest. Allan reached up and clamped a hand over her mouth, "Be quiet."

Kate growled in her throat and bit down on his hand, hard. Allan jerked his hand back, tripped over the barrel behind him, and landed in the middle of the road. Kate moved forward to chastise him but stopped when she saw why Allan had suddenly kissed her. Only a few yards away sat Former Sheriff Vasey, high up on his horse, glaring down at the pair of them, with Guy of Gisborn on the ground at his side. Kate looked further back and saw the O' Connor family all tied together, being led behind a soldier.

"Well, well, well," Vasey smiled at them, "untimely lover's quarrel wouldn't you agree Gisborn?"

Kate glared at Gisborn, all the latent malice she'd hidden away for the sake of the O'Connor's coming back in full force. It was obvious that he'd betrayed the O'Connor's and taken up with Vasey, a man he'd supposedly killed. Kate felt bile rising in her throat. Gisborn had probably only pretended to have killed Vasey, to have lost his memory, and hidden out with the O'Connor's until Vasey had obtained forces and come back to Nottingham in order to regain control of it from Isabella. How stupid they'd all been to have ever trusted Gisborn.

As she'd stood there in dumb shock, Allan took the time to stand and back away from Vasey. His gaze flickered to Gisborn, who stood by Vasey's horse, looking confused yet hardened. Allan couldn't quite read Gisborn's expression and so turned his eyes back to Vasey. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Out of all of us here, you are the most likely to wind up that way, and soon, if you don't tell me why you're here and where that pesky leader of yours is." Vasey retorted, signaling to some of his men to seize both Kate and Allan.

Kate looked over at Allan, suddenly afraid. She'd never thought they'd be discovered, least of all by Vasey, but now there was a very likely chance that they'd be tortured for information. Kate believed herself to be a strong woman, but under torture she knew even the strongest of men buckled and broke.

Allan squared his shoulders, "I can't tell you what I don't know."

"Oh whatever, thief, you and I both know that you'll tell me, one way or another, so enough with your bravado."

"He'll never tell you." Kate yelled at the Sheriff, jerking against her captor's hold. "Neither of us will. We'll die first."

"Oh la te da, Miss Smart-mouth, I think he will tell me or you'll all die. Throw Miss Smart-mouth into the dungeons with that ragtag family back there," Vasey flipped a hand over his shoulder towards the O'Connor's, "But make sure you give this man," he pointed to Allan, "some special attention. I do believe he has some answers for us."

Allan gulped against the panic that began to rise in his throat. He hated pain, about as much as any other warm-blooded human, but he hated cells more than that. The idea of being locked up, again, made him breakout in a cold sweat. He glanced over at Kate as they were led behind Vasey into the inner keep of Nottingham. He prayed that they didn't try to hurt her. He would rather they focus on him than lay a hand on her.

Allan looked up once they stopped inside the courtyard to find Isabella descending the steps towards them, a sly smile on her lips, "So nice of you to come, Sheriff Vasey." She extended her hand towards him.

So they obviously weren't at odds with one another. That would've worked in their favor.

Vasey took her hand and kissed the back of it. He stepped closer and spread his arm out to encompass the whole procession. "I've brought a few men with me, Lady Isabella, and a few guests for our dungeons as well."

Isabella locked eyes with Allan and he watched her lips turn upwards into a sneer. He very much wanted to wipe that sneer off her face with his fist, and he wasn't one for hitting women normally. When Isabella caught sight of her brother her smile brightened even more. She stepped forward and cupped Gisborn's face.

"At long last you have returned dear brother." Isabella dropped her hands as her voice lost all warmth. "I believe it is time for you to face your demons."

Gisborn frowned, "I do not know you woman."

Isabella tightened her jaw. She drew back her hand and slapped Gisborn as hard as she could. Allan was surprised when Gisborn didn't immediately begin to curse her or fight against the soldier that had taken his place beside him.

"I tell you truly," Gisborn spoke with his head lowered, "I do not know you or this man."

For a tense moment no one spoke but then Isabella growled, "Damn you, Guy," turned and stormed up the steps.

Vasey signaled for the soldiers to throw them into the dungeons and bring Gisborn after him into the castle. Allan watched as Gisborn glanced over his shoulder at the O'Connor's. He noticed the woman, Magdalen, mouth something to Gisborn even as she was led away. Gisborn nodded silently before he too was forced into movement. Allan didn't have time to ponder the exchange, or just how much Gisborn was involved in the current events, before he was unceremoniously thrown down the dungeon steps into pain and darkness.

Elsewhere in Nottingham

"We're too late." Much stomped his foot as they watched the inner keep gate slam shut. Through the bars they could just catch sight of their comrades being led towards the dungeon.

"We best try to find Robin and Ash. They cannot proceed with the plan now." Tuck grabbed hold of Much's shoulder and squeezed. "All hope is not lost yet."

John nodded, "Come on then." He hurried back down the alleyway from whence they'd come, Much and Tuck following close behind.

Nottingham Sewers

"This has got to be one of the least glamorous ways I've ever broken into a place." Ash commented dryly as she carefully followed Robin through the tunnel systems.

They'd waited until twilight before slipping down here. Of course, given the time of day, they'd have to be even quieter than if they'd done this earlier, but at the same time darkness gave them better cover. It was a rough trade off, but if everything went according to plan—and it was a good plan—then it'd be worth it.

Robin sighed, "This was your idea."

"I know," Ash smiled to herself, "and it is a good idea, just not the best smelling one."

She heard Robin sigh again but didn't say anything more. If Brandon's calculations were correct, they should be coming up on the dungeons soon and it would only be smart to shut up. Ash wrinkled her nose as they passed yet another pile of slick rubbish. Yes, this was probably the smelliest job she'd ever pulled. She looked ahead and noticed a river of goo in their path, leading from one pile to another.

"Hey watch out for the-" she never finished her sentence.

Before she could fully prepare herself, Robin slipped, twirled, and fell towards her. Ash tried to leap out of the way, but leaping whilst in the middle of slippery goo doesn't happen. Instead of safely getting out from under Robin's crash point, she remained in basically the same position. Thus, when gravity caused her body to come into contact with the previously sneered at rubbish, Robin's body came into contact with hers. And, with her luck, Robin's hands were braced out in front of him to break his fall which, instead of breaking the fall on the ground, found themselves settled directly on Ash's chest.

For a mere moment, Ash was too stunned to move but then body positions began to clarify themselves in her brain. Robin: on top of her, hands on her chest, their faces smashed against each other with lips side by side to lips, and legs tangled together. Ash felt panic begin to rise in her chest but used the energy from it to muster up some movement.

"Get off me you oaf!" She growled, pushing with her legs and arms until he finally rolled off her.

Robin began to swipe at his mouth as he sat up again. Ash glanced down at her body then back at him and noticed that he was still brushing at his mouth.

"What are you doing?" She carefully stood and continued to glare down at him.

Robin shuddered, "I think I just kissed you."

"Don't even think about it." Ash ground out through clenched teeth. That's all she needed, for him to start obsessing over whether or not he kissed her, which would lead him into reassessing what it REALLY felt like to lie on top of her, which could lead up to the "oh hey her chest was significantly softer than a man's chest should be" revelation, which would definitely lead into the eye-opening "wait a minute…Ash is a woman" shocker. Ash shook her head and gestured to the slightly flustered, and gooey looking Robin, "Come on, pervert, we still have a ways to go. This time," she waited until he was standing before she finished, "I lead."

Robin silently followed for a moment but it wasn't long before she heard him mumble, "I'm not a pervert." Ash only shook her head and hid her smile. No he wasn't, but she wasn't about to clarify that.


	28. Torturous Times

Nottingham Dungeon

They didn't spare much time for small talk, which Allan didn't know if he should be grateful for or not. He'd only been in a heap at the bottom of the stairs for a moment before they'd dragged him away from the others. He could hear Kate's curses when they fought to throw her into a cell. Even as they strapped him down onto the rack, he smiled; the woman had spirit and he prayed they didn't do anything to take that away from her.

Sometime later, he concluded the torture wasn't so bad, if white-hot pain searing through every joint in his body could be considered tolerable. He had imagined worse earlier, so finding out that these blood thirty bastards were sated with his moans from the rack was comforting in a way. He didn't know how long they kept him there, cranking the wheel every so often, demanding answers from him. He knew he didn't give away, much, and was relieved when another soldier came in and asked one of his torturers to come with him up to see the Sheriff.

Allan was deposited into the cell with Kate and the others not too long after that.

"Allan!" Kate rushed forward and pulled the near unconscious form into her arms. "Are you all right?"

She heard a snort from the adjacent cell and turned a glare at the figure sitting in the shadows. "What an odd question to ask a man who has just survived a bout of torture."

She snarled at him before turning her attention back to Allan. The man in the cell beside them hadn't introduced himself, and she hadn't asked questions. She been too busy barely keeping herself from yelling at the O' Connor woman.

"Kate." She looked down into Allan's eyes as he finally stirred.

"Yes, Allan, I'm right here." She smoothed some hair out of his face and reached down for one of his hands.

He coughed and winced at the movement, "Where," another cough, "are the O' Connors?"

"We are here." Maggie spoke up from the corner.

Kate turned her hate filled glare upon them, taking in the welcome sight of the O' Connor boys cowering behind their sister.

"It's all your fault you know." She couldn't keep it in any more. "If you'd listened to us, if you'd turned that bastard over to us, then this wouldn't have happened." She felt Allan stiffen in her arms and heard him start to rasp out a protest but she didn't stop. This anger had been building up ever since they'd tortured Allan, and having him lie there in her arms so broken just made it come tumbling out of her mouth like a waterfall. "How could you ever believe that fiend could be redeemable? He is rotten, through and through. There is nothing about him that could ever be considered worthy of sympathy or warrant kind words. He should die for the pain he's caused so many people."

"Please," Maggie had her eyes on the ground and her voice was soft, "stop."

Kate felt a surge in her stomach at the sight of the woman looking so downcast and sounding so broken. Serves her right to see the true colors of the man she'd thought she'd loved. The venom of hatred crept into her voice as she continued.

"You loved a bastard, O' Connor, and you've been betrayed just liked the rest of us. You were naïve to think that someone as simple as you could ever change his black heart. He used you, just as he used us, and he'll kill you just as he killed Marian. I hope you're prepared to have a dead woman say 'I told you so' because that's what's going to happen after you. You will die and he will go on with his evil life as if you never existed in the first place. You are nothing to him other than a whore that was easy to use."

Kate wasn't prepared for the attack and so was knocked onto her back by the full force of Maggie's weight. It happened so fast, Maggie managed to get in a few hits before Kate retaliated and turned the tables and pinned Maggie beneath her. Kate could hear the O' Connor brothers yelping their encouragement to their sister from the corner and heard Allan call out for her to stop, but she didn't. She wanted to show Maggie that she was superior, that she not only knew more about life but could also best her in combat.

However, perhaps her pride in her abilities that brought about her own downfall. It was surprising, to say the least, when she suddenly found herself tossed across the room, painfully thrown back onto the ground on her stomach, with her arms wrenched behind her back. She cried out when Maggie kneeled on her back, effectively pinning her into position.

"Maggie." She heard one of the boys call out to his sister from the corner.

"Not now Ben," Maggie hissed through clenched teeth, "she needs to know."

Kate fought against the hold Maggie had on her but ceased at the pain such movements caused. "Know what? That I'm right?"

Maggie wrenched harder, making Kate moan, before she answered, "You are so far from being right that it is pitiable. Your heart is filled with putrid anger, Kate, and if you don't learn to believe in the good of people that anger will destroy you. But I'm not here to lecture you on the finer points of Christian behavior."

"If you were I don't think you'd have her pinned to the ground like that." The man in the cell beside them spoke up again, amusement obvious in his voice.

Maggie gave him a wry smile before turning her attention back to Kate, "Guy does deserve death for his past crimes, I know that and he knows that, however he is not the evil bastard that you believe him to be. He has goodness inside him and he has proved that to me and to my family."

"Then you are all damned to assured disappointment when he betrays you." Kate began to argue but was again stopped by the pain Maggie inflicted upon her.

"I am not asking you to believe me, I don't think you ever could believe anything beyond your own arrogant perceptions, but I am going to ask you once, and only once, to keep your venomous words to yourself. I don't want you to ever damn Guy in my presence or my brother's presence, ever again. If you do," Maggie's lips brushed the tips of her ears as she whispered, "I will kill you, without question."

Kate's blood ran cold at the promise she detected in Maggie's voice. Perhaps Guy had transformed the woman into someone as equally capable of destruction as himself. Maybe in her naïve devotion for the man she'd be willing to kill Kate. In any case, Kate wasn't about to call Maggie's bluff. She believe her fully capable and willing to do as she promised.

"Do we understand one another?" Maggie jerked at Kate's arms to get her attention again.

Kate grimaced, "Yes."

Suddenly Maggie's weight was lifted from her back and Kate rolled over onto her back and watched as the woman returned to her brothers. She'd surprised Kate with her ease at violence, but then again there wasn't much that Kate or the others knew about the O' Connors beyond their familial ties to the Ash fellow, and even with him they didn't know much.

"Kate," Allan's voice was stronger now, "are you all right?"

Kate crawled over to where he was leaning against the stonewall. Before she could answer the man in the shadows again spoke up, "That's an odd question to ask a woman who's just had her ass handed to her."

"Shut up!" She hissed at him as she settled down beside Allan, equaling seeking comfort and wanting to give comfort to him.

The man chuckled, "I would gladly do so if you lot would cease amusing me so much."

Kate was about to give him a heated retort but Allan's firm hand on her forearm stopped her. He was right. She'd probably done enough damage to her pride for one evening.

Somewhere in Nottingham Castle

Guy was aware of pain trickling icy tendrils through almost every portion of his body. He'd been stripped of almost all clothing, his bound wrists hooked onto a metal rung and tied against a pillar in some drafty room. He couldn't be sure how long he'd been here but if the pain wracking his body was any indication, it had been some time.

He spit out another mouthful of blood, relishing the momentary halt in his beating as the soldiers stepped aside to drink the ale a serving woman had brought in moments before. The Sheriff Vasey and his supposed sister Isabella had left almost an hour before. Apparently, when they discovered that his memory loss was indeed factual, they had found only so much pleasure in watching him get the life beat out of him.

"What else do they want us to do with him?" He heard one of his torturers question the woman.

She shook her head, "The hangman has been summoned and the gallows are currently being set up in the courtyard."

Guy shuddered but remained silent. He deserved death; he knew that even though he couldn't remember all his past sins that would rightfully call for his death. However, the thought of Maggie still in the clutches of this mad Sheriff and cruel "sister" made him wish for life, if just for long enough to get her and the boys to safety. He'd known that his past would eventually condemn him, but he'd certainly wished that it would have only killed him and not threatened his new family.

"Well, what are we supposed to do with him in the meantime?"

Guy peered at them through swollen eyes.

"Lady Isabella wants him thrown in with the other outlaws and for the one named Archer to be brought before the Sheriff and herself."

The soldiers nodded and Guy felt more than saw them untie him and drag him from the room. It was as they were dragging him towards the staircase that led to the dungeon that they stopped long enough for Archer to be brought past. Guy felt a surge of energy, on a wave of anger, flow through his body. This was all Archer's fault; somehow Guy knew that Archer had some part in their current situation.

"You bastard." He growled out moments before he lashed out at him, kicking and head butting at the man, unable to hit him since his hands were still bound.

"Get him out of here." One of the guards yelled to the soldiers holding Archer, struggling to hold Guy back.

The guards tightened their grip on Guy's arm and jerked him backwards. He cursed at them when he felt them suddenly let go and his momentum did not stop. He tumbled down the stone steps, barely keeping his head safely cradled between his arms. He managed to keep from hitting his head directly until he came to the last step and suddenly he was smashed up against the wall beside the stairs. His vision blurred then blackened and he heard the guard's voices as if through water. He knew he was going to black out, and soon. The last thing he was fully aware of was the guard's hoisting him to his feet and again dragging him down the hall.


	29. Plan of Attack

Nottingham Sewers

"Just give me a boost up and I'll help you out."

Ash frowned at the larger man, "Right. Because it makes perfect sense for me to hoist your heavier weight onto my smaller shoulders."

"Fine," Robin suddenly grabbed hold of Ash's shoulders and pulled her towards himself, "I'll toss you up there and you get to have the privilege of hoisting my 'heavier weight' out of here."

Ash had almost fought against his hold but then he stepped into the light that streamed down from the grate above and he crouched down so she could climb on top of his shoulders. _What a gentleman_ barely crossed her mind before she shrugged and practically jumped onto him, smiling to herself when she heard him curse at her antics.

"Now don't go getting any ideas," She reached over her head and felt around the rocks until she found a good grip with which to haul herself up with, "I know you fancied kissing me back there but-" Robin's sudden jerking made her almost fall, "Okay I'll drop the subject, no need to make me nearly break my neck."

"Just unlock the grate so we can get on with this." She could tell that his patience was wearing thin, and she couldn't exactly blame him. Brandon had told her many times that she was much like a troll—she'd hit him when he'd said that—but then he'd gone on to explain that trolls were mischief makers, typically moody, and damned stubborn. With those factors in mind, yes she was quite troll-ish, sometimes.

Ash took a deep breath before pulling herself upwards, kicking one of her legs up to hook onto the slight ledge beside her. It took some awkward body contortions but within a few minutes she was wedged in the narrow opening and working on the grate. She had just about gotten it opened when voices drawing nearer made her stop. She signaled below for Robin to remain quiet.

"When will the execution be do you think?"

"I don't know, maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow. Who knows with the Sheriff."

There was a low chuckle, "Be careful what you say, you never know where he might have spies."

_He?_ Ash thought. Since when did Isabella become a "he?"

"I can't believe Lady Isabella is in favor of her own brother's death."

Ash barely suppressed a gasp when she finally caught sight of two guards hauling the unconscious form of Guy of Gisborn towards the dungeon cells.

"She isn't about to argue with Sheriff Vasey now is she?"

As they passed through another door and their voices grew faint, Ash growled low in her throat and set about getting the grate open with renewed energy. Vasey was back and Guy was captured, that could only mean what Maggie and the others were prisoners and, if Archer's presence had any sort of influence on this situation, she could be fairly certain that Robin's men were in danger as well.

Ash grunted as she pushed the grate up, grimacing at the noise it made. She turned and lay on her stomach, reaching down for Robin. It was only after some struggling and afew grunts and curses that he too crouched on the stone floor.

"Vasey's back."

Robin's eyes widened, "I thought Guy killed him."

"From the beaten appearance he had when the guards led him past," Ash jerked her thumb towards the door that led deeper into the dungeon, "I'd say that he probably thought he had as well."

"So," Robin looked around the room for a moment before he let his eyes rest on Ash again, "do you want to continue with the plan or do you want to try to find Gisborn?"

"I think we can safely assume that if Guy is here then so are the O' Connors."

Robin nodded but before he could reply they heard some more voices approaching. They quickly scrambled to close the grate before throwing themselves into a shadowed alcove. Given its small space Ash found herself pressed rather intimately between Robin and the wall. The contrast between his warm body and the cold stone made her feel a little giddy—it had been a long time since she'd _been_ with anyone. She attributed her momentary ripple of desire to that fact, and that fact alone. Because if she thought that she felt desire for Robin because he was Robin and not just a man she'd probably have to hurl herself down the dungeons steps as penance for her own stupidity.

Any woman who would willingly be attracted to, if not love, Robin was surely an idiot because he was an arrogant prat that would always put his own sense of honor and duty above any relationship in his life. Ash wasn't so different, that was why she was still unmarried and quite alone as well, but that didn't change the fact that she resented her body as it wanted to melt against Robin, pratishness or not.

"Damn." She muttered under her breath.

Robin made a hushing noise seconds before he pressed even closer. Ash closed her eyes and counted in her head. This was no time to suddenly remember the joys of intimacy with men. She was grateful for the distraction of the coming guards. If she moved her head to the left ever so slightly she could just catch a glimpse of the men as they passed by. However there was no need to try to see who they were escorting as Robin hissed out a curse between clenched teeth.

"What?" She whispered when she was sure the guards were far enough away to no longer hear her.

"They have Archer."

Ash was proud of her acting skills, otherwise her feigned confusion would never have convinced Robin.

"My half-brother."

"Ah." Ash pushed away from Robin and the tiny alcove, "So does that mean we're going to try to rescue Gisborn, my family, and Archer, all at the same time?"

Robin drew a hand through his hair, "It would appear so."

"Well then let's get to it then."

Sherwood Forest

"We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Much growled as he paced back and forth in front of the fire.

Tuck watched his friend in silence. They hadn't found Robin or Ash and found it pertinent to retreat fromNottingham, at least for the time being. They hadn't returned to the camp either. Tuck was certain that the Sheriff would have Allan or Kate tortured and under that sort of influence there was no telling what they would reveal. So here they sat encamped around a small fire in the ever darkening forest.

"Do you think we could sneak in now that it's dark?" Little John spoke up, his grip still tight on his staff. "I agree with Much, we cannot just sit here while the rest of our group is locked away at the mercy of Vasey."

Tuck nodded, "I agree with both of you, however even if we have the cover of darkness, we do not have a plan and it would only be foolhardy to rush in there without any sort of plan. We are horribly outnumbered and without knowledge of whether or not Robin and Ash have been captured," he shook his head, "we are more of assent to all of them if we take time to plan an attack."

"I agree." A voice from the darkness to the left made them all ready themselves for attack. It was only when Ash's second-in-command Brandon came into view that they loosened their grips on their weapons. "Ash had a bad feeling earlier today and sent me off to call in a favor. Now that that's done I think we have much better odds in favor for us."

Much stared at the man, "What do you mean? Now that there are four of us you think that we stand a chance at storming the castle?"

"No,"Brandonsmiled, "now that there are forty of us," As he said this Tuck watched as more men soundlessly stepped forward into the flickering light of the fire, "I think we may stand a chance at retrieving your friends and my sister in-law."

Little John frowned, "I didn't know that the O'Connor woman had a sister."

"Yes,"Brandonsmiled, "but how about we sit down and discuss our attack instead of familial ties?"

London

"She is where?" Prince John roared at his servant, surging to his feet so suddenly the chair behind him toppled over.

"Her ship leaves forCalaistomorrow morning, your majesty." The man cowered at his feet, as he should.

John growled as he marched past his servant and went to find someone who would be more helpful than that sniveling weasel. He shouldn't have been surprised that his own mother would have betrayed him like this. Collecting blackmail behind his back, hoarding the money to pay for Richard's—from a man John himself had paid to hold Richard, and then leaving to greet her long lost son without asking permission to leave the castle; yes John most certainly should not have been surprised at these events.

"Ready my horse and ready an escort of a dozen knights," he bellowed to his master of ceremonies, "we are riding forDover."

"Now your majesty?"

John's face reddened, "Yes now, you son of a whore. We leave in an hour!"

He was not about to let his mother leave, and he was not about to loseEnglandto his brother. He'd fought for his position, his rightful position, and he was not about to step aside just because the Lionhearted king had returned.


	30. Puddle Jumping

Sherwood Forest

"So your plan of attack is to lay siege to Nottingham while our men, and yours, are inside?" Tuck sounded more than a little surprised at the audacity of the plan Brandon laid forth.

Brandon smiled, "It will not be your average, every day siege, but yes that is my basic plan."

"I didnae realize that sieges were that common nowadays." A man about as tall and large as Little John spoke from beside Brandon, bringing all eyes to him. "Though I do like the sounds of that. Makes life a bit more interestin' if you ask me."

"We didn't." Much sounded about as incredulous as he looked. "Brandon I don't see how that plan could work. As soon as they see us coming they'll execute the others and then they'll kill us."

The man who'd spoken before laid a heavy hand on Much's shoulder, "Now there laddie, you obviously donnae know how the Irish fight. You English tend to move in a more direct and awkward fashion."

"And the Irish don't?" Little John crossed his arms across his chest, "From what I've known of the Irish they tend to make their presence well known."

"Right afore they bash yer brains out, yet." The man gave a cheeky grin.

Before an argument could erupt Brandon held up his hands, "I will agree with you Tuck that the basic outline of this plan does appear to be quite risky, if not downright ludicrous." Much snorted but didn't say anything after Brandon sent him a glare. "What my cousin Hugh is failing to explain is that these men are not only master of arms, but also master of disguises."

"I don't know how well they can mask themselves as trees and bushes, because there's not much else around Nottingham." Little John sighed.

"I bet you'd make a nice tree." Hugh smiled over at Little John. "A nice solid, thick, slow, oak."

Tuck interjected quickly, before John retorted, "What do you mean Brandon?"

"There are already some men who have infiltrated Nottingham while others are preparing the surrounding area for our attack tomorrow afternoon."

"Why the afternoon? Why not morning?" Much questioned, having gotten over his initial distrust of the idea, and the Irish.

"The bones have spoken." Hugh rattled a pouch tied to his belt. "They have predicted a heavy rain and then a mist by tomorrow afternoon."

Little John growled, "We're basing this entire attack off of a couple of bones in that man's bag?"

"Pssh!" Hugh cackled. "You English have no sense of humor. If you paid at all attention to the clouds, the seasons, or the feel of the air, you'd realize that there is a storm brewing and given this type of weather there will undoubtedly be a mist following the rain. Time of day varies, but in any case we will have the weather on our side."

Silence fell over the group as the facts of the matter began to sink in. Tuck was the first to fully concede to Brandon's plan.

"So what exactly do you have in mind?"

Brandon smiled, "That has always been my favorite question."

Nottingham Dungeon

"Guy!" Maggie rushed towards the bars keeping her from his fallen form.

Guy did not move though they could hear him moan. Maggie squeezed an arm through the bars, just barely able to touch the edge of his shoulder. He looked badly beaten. She glared over at the soldiers who'd once probably followed Guy as their leader.

"What have you done with him?"

One of the men smirked, "What we did is obvious, what will happen is just as inevitable."

"What do you mean?" Ben scooted forward as the other boys also came closer to their sister.

"Tomorrow Guy of Gisborn will be executed."

The soldiers left the stunned group. Maggie turned her attention back to the still unconscious form before her. She knew that this day would come. Even at their happiest moment she knew a day would come when his past would cause her heart to tear in two. She'd prayed for it not to happen but it seemed that the soldiers were right about one thing, it was inevitable.

"At least the Sheriff is doing one thing right." Kate muttered, though not quietly enough for Maggie's liking.

She turned violent eyes towards the woman still crouched by Allan's side, "You say one more word and I swear by my brother's I'll-"

Her threat was interrupted by the arrival of the man from before who was just as unceremoniously dumped in beside Guy. He looked like he'd seen better days also but was at least still conscious.

"That was a short meeting." Kate motioned towards to the retreating soldiers.

The man rubbed the back of his neck, "Yes, well, they found I was about as helpful this time around as I was the other times. I'm fairly certain that I'll be joining Gisborn at the gallows tomorrow."

"How do you know him?" Maggie looked between the man and Guy, noticing a few similarities now that the man was sitting in the light.

"He is my half-brother, or so he and the man named Robin claim. I'm Archer."

That accounted for the similarities. It also accounted for the sudden appearance of the soldiers at her homestead. If Archer had been captured and tortured for information then he would have-

"You betrayed us didn't you?" Kate growled.

Maggie paused. Yes, that was also possible. She hadn't wanted to think of that.

"If you're implying that I sought to trade information for a price," Archer smirked, "then yes I did. But it wasn't personal. It never is. I just like to look out for what is most important to me."

"And that would be?" Maggie bit out past the anger she felt welling up inside her towards this man.

Archer shot her a bright smile as he puffed out his chest, "Myself of course."

Before any of them could continue the conversation Guy moaned again, this time stirring. Maggie reached for him again, finding that his stirrings had brought him close enough for her to grab hold of his tunic.

"Guy," she tugged at the material a bit, "Guy wake up, please."

Guy brought a shaky hand to his head as he rolled onto his side. After a few moments he blinked the world back into focus, almost immediately wishing for the bliss of sleep again. Pain coursed through every part of his body and his head felt like it was about to explode. Images and sounds exploded inside his head, clashing with those that were happening in the present.

"Guy." He heard a woman calling his name and turned to look at her.

She was pretty enough, though the look of concern and…love in her eyes made her quite lovely. However, though she appeared to feel those things for him he could not remember her. In fact, he couldn't remember why he was sitting in this dark cell. The last thing he remembered was nearly drowning in the river.

"Where am I?" he tried to sit up but had to stop when his stomach heaved.

"The dungeon of Nottingham." The woman spoke again, her voice clearly laced with feeling towards him. "Are you alright?"

Guy snarled at her, "Do I look alright woman?"

Maggie grimaced and withdrew her hand. She watched in silence as Guy attempted to sit up again, this time managing it enough to scoot across the floor and lean against the wall opposite from where she sat. He was tense, and for good reason, but there was something else about him. When he'd looked at her for those brief moments he hadn't seemed to recognize her. Could it be that when he'd been beaten he'd lost more memories?

"Welcome back to the land of the living brother." Archer drawled.

Guy looked towards the man lounging near the cell door, "Who the hell are you?"

Archer raised an eyebrow and Maggie's heart sank. Her fears had been confirmed. The man sitting in the cell adjacent to her own was no longer Guy the man she knew and loved. He was now Sir Guy of Gisborn, tyrant bastard. She only hoped that the time with her had softened his heart and that with time, should they have it, his heart would convince his mind to soften as well. She did not want to admit defeat, not to Kate, and especially not to herself. She loved Guy too much to accept that this was it.

"It seems that your tumble down the stairs has addled your brain." Archer crouched down to stare more directly at Guy, "I am your half-brother Archer. Unless of course you don't remember coming with Robin to find me at York."

Guy's head began to swim again as he tried to recall what the man spoke about. He knew in his gut that much time had elapsed since he'd fallen in the river. He also knew instinctively that there was much more going on here than he could physically see. There were relationship ties that he couldn't recall, obviously, and sequence of events had taken place of which he'd been a part of that he also could not remember. He looked over at the woman again, noticing for the first time a pulling in his gut at the sight of her. Yes, perhaps there was something there that he hadn't initially noticed.

"What am I doing here?"

"You're a prisoner of your sister and Sheriff Vasey," he recognized Allan's voice and looked over to find the outlaw leaning against a wall beside Kate, "we were all caught and thrown in here. Apparently Vasey and Isabella have arranged your execution for tomorrow."

Guy frowned as his vision began to blur. He closed his eyes and cradled his pounding head between his hands. He desperately fought to find any semblance of memories that would explain his current situation. However, it was as if the past…weeks, months, years…had been erased from his mind.

"Yes, it is due to be a real brotherly bonding experience." Archer sighed, drawing Guy's attention again.

"I want you to explain to me everything about what is going on here as best as you know it."

Archer snorted, "Finding yourself unable to remember anything?"

Guy hated his vulnerability, hated his need for clarification. However, the panic that was rising and near choking him was what made him willing to ask for help. He looked over at the woman and again found his gut churning. He wanted to know exactly why he was about to die, and how the hell he got here.

"Yes." He answered through clenched teeth.

"Well," Archer clapped his hands together, "let me regale you with a highly sensationalized rendition of events. After which you may pick and choose what to believe, or you may ask any one of them to fill you in."

Guy looked over at the woman, the boys crowded around her, and Kate and Allan. No, he'd rather hear Archer's side of the story. He nodded for Archer to begin, doing his best to ignore the presence of the others for the time being.

Nottingham Sewers

"You want to wait until tomorrow? Why? Why not just bust them out now?" Robin hissed at the man/boy who sat as casually as if they were having tea.

Ash smiled, "Because before we came in here I sent Brandon to go get reinforcements. I'd had a bad feeling from the start."

"I don't see how waiting for Brandon and his supposed reinforcements will help us fight our way out of the castle once everyone is awake and battle ready tomorrow at the execution." Robin drew a hand through his hair. "Why didn't you tell me about your decision before?"

"Because you wouldn't have understood my reasons. In any case, Brandon will provide the necessary diversion to allow us to properly save the others." Ash spoke as if explaining things to a three year old. "I'm sure you understand the finer points of the element of surprise and the importance of a well placed diversion."

Robin frowned, "How do you know Brandon got through and will actually be able to help us out there?"

"He'll be out there, I know it."

"How do you know? What is so special about this man that you know without a doubt he'll be out there?"

Ash clenched her teeth, "He is family and he will not abandon what family he has left in this world."

Robin noticed the tense change in Ash and sensing a story, and a rare opportunity to find out some truths about the enigma sitting there on the stone ledge, he tentatively approached and sat nearby.

Ash watched him move closer and inwardly sighed. She just had to let that out didn't she? Now he would want further explanation and in order to keep him from bugging her with questions all night long she knew she would have to give some answers.

"He married my sister some years ago," she found herself explaining with more accuracy than she'd originally intended but once she began no matter her desire to fib she kept right on with the truth, "and they were very happy together. I visited them from time to time, when I wasn't on assignment. They never really asked about what sort of vocation would keep me abroad so much and I was content to pretend that I lived a fairly normal life whenever I was in their home. However, my vocation caught up with me. After a particularly harrowing incident, one of which I thought I'd successfully avoided, I returned home only to find a message from the instigators of my last near-death experience. In that message he explained that he was holding my sister and her husband hostage. All he wanted in exchange was my life." Ash closed her eyes as she leaned her head against the wall behind her, the memories reliving themselves in her brain. "Arrogant enough to think I could outsmart this man I devised a plan to rescue my sister and Brandon. In the end, however, I only caused more destruction. In the aftermath my sister was dead and Brandon a mere shell of the man he'd once been. Yes, my enemy was dead but now I was the equally grieving enemy of my brother-in-law. He rightly blamed me for my sister's death and fell into drunkenness and violence while I buried myself in reckless assignments."

Ash fell silent for a few moments, trying to surface from the long buried memories. Robin also remained silent, somehow knowing that if he spoke he'd never hear the end of this story. Ash did not strike him as a particularly open fellow and so he was grateful for the opportunity to see inside this new ally.

"A few years later I came back, determined to find redemption through saving Brandon. He tried to kill me of course but after some convincing I managed to recruit him on my assignments, telling him that he could always betray me in another country and earn money at the same time. Needless to say he liked that idea. But, what neither one of us expected, was that we would help the other heal and grow into a strong friendship. He is as loyal as if he were a blood brother and I a blood-" Ash caught herself before she betrayed her sex, "relative to him. That is how I know he will be out there Robin. I am all he has left in the world. Any other relatives that he may have are distant and tricky and/or downright hostile towards him."

Robin nodded, "I can understand the strength of brotherhood. However, Brandon is still a man and as such is still confined to the laws of Earth. It is entirely possible that he failed in his mission."

"Well, Robin, that is what makes you different from me."

"What do you mean?"

Ash smiled, "When it rains you complain about the weather and seek the indoors."

"And you don't?"

"No, I find a puddle and jump in it."


	31. A Greeting from Death

Nottingham Dungeons

Maggie had spent the night curled up with her brothers, keeping an ear on the conversation held between Guy and Archer. She hadn't tried to directly engage him, every time she had she'd been either out rightly ignored or glared at. She supposed it was because she wasn't trying to hide her feelings towards him and because he obviously couldn't remember her or why she felt that way towards him he was using a defense of anger and aloofness. While she understood this it still didn't stop the sting she felt every time he seemed to look right through her.

The boys were holding up fairly well, though their spirits were just as crushed as her own. She made no gallant effort to remain optimistic, she was more of a realist in any case. The boys knew the odds both for and against their survival and as such were doing their best to make the most of their time alive. They did not complain, even when their stomachs growled with hungry, and they also did not try to engage Guy in conversation. They took their cues from Maggie.

Kate and Allen was much the same they had been the night before. Kate had remained "pleasant" towards them, and had only made a few snide comments to Guy when Archer hadn't been able to answer a question and she'd felt the need to supply one. Allan was able to move around on his own, though his face was quite swollen along with his shoulders and knees.

It was not close to midday, and they'd passed the morning much as they'd passed the night, with Guy asking questions and either Archer or Kate and Allen answering. Only a few short moments ago had they fallen silent just as the rain outside had ceased. Maggie knew that something terribly was going to happen, and soon. She hadn't stopped praying though, that somehow they would all be saved—though she wasn't opposed to Kate getting another thrashing in the whole saving process.

Ben coughed beside her, drawing Maggie's attention to her brothers again. She didn't want to die anymore than any one else but she would rather die than her brothers. They were still so young and had their whole lives ahead of them. Her death would be waste enough, but theirs would be horrific.

Guy grunted from pain as he shifted in position. Maggie looked up and found his gaze centered on her. When he noticed her gaze returning his he stiffened and quickly looked away. She saw him frown and sighed. If only he could remember their time together…

Guy made an effort to keep from staring at HER. The night had been a harrowing one. His half-brother had explained things well enough, and Kate and Allan had tossed in their two-pence worth as well. The woman and the boys had remained silent, somehow waiting for something. Perhaps it was his death. Or perhaps they were waiting for his recognition. In any case, he couldn't remember them, and in a way he was glad of it. Facing death was never pleasant and he much preferred death while knowing that no one would be left behind to mourn him.

Guy rubbed his hand against his head; it had not stopped hurting, nor had his gut stopped churning at the sight of the woman and those boys. He supposed he should stop calling them that. They had introduced themselves so he did know their names. He found that he didn't want to say them though. In a strange way, he didn't want to remember them. It was obvious from the pained looks on their faces that his mere presence was moving to them and when he died, they would suffer, that much he was certain of. He would rather not remember the specific whys that would be.

Guy was jarred out of his musings at the appearance of a few guards. Apparently, it was time. After a late morning shower, they'd deemed it fit enough for an execution after all. He carefully rose to his feet, mindful that moving too quickly always made his head spin. Archer also stood and faced the door.

No one spoke as they were pulled from the cell. However, Guy's legs gave out from him and he tumbled to the ground in front of the adjacent cell. As the guards reached down to haul him up again he felt something warm brush against his cheek. He glanced sideways and saw Magdalen O' Connor crouching nearby, her hand hovering in the air between his face and the bars. He saw tears in her eyes and found that despite his insistence upon not remembering her, the sight of her pain made his entire body shiver with apprehension.

As the guards picked him up he swore he heard her whisper his name. The way she looked at him and the way his name was a near prayer on her lips, he knew that she loved him. For whatever reason this woman, this obviously innocent and caring woman, loved him. He didn't know what he'd done in the time span he couldn't remember, but surely he hadn't done anything so redeeming to deserve this woman's love. He knew he was a cold-hearted bastard without a redeemable bone in his body. To think that a woman like this loved him, it was startling.

He continued to watch her as they lead him from the dungeon, catching sight of the boys crowding around their sister, each of their faces awash with deep sorrow as well. He'd been a part of that family, to such a degree that they were expressing pain at his departure. He could barely remember what it was like to feel such love and warmth towards someone, such openness and vulnerability.

Even with Marian, it had not been true devotion. It had been spurned out of jealousy for Robin and then blossomed into a desire to possess something beautiful at the end, it had never been completely full of trust. He'd tried to find redemption through her and only ended up destroying the one thing he'd thought could save him. With this woman and these boys, however, he could see that whatever had transpired between them had not been a desperate attempt at redemption, nor had it been a selfish desire to possess. Whatever it had been, it had been true.

"That's why I find it easier to wine them and dine them than leave them and grieve them."

Guy turned to his half brother, "What?"

"You're leaving behind a family while I'm leaving behind no one. While it could be considered a waste that no one will be left to mourn me, I find it satisfying to think that I was free enough in life to be free enough in death." Archer shrugged against the guard's holds.

"I do not know those people." Guy spoke through clenched teeth. "I have no recollection of my time with them."

Archer heaved a dramatic sigh, "Well that is a shame. From what I understand, you've been with them ever since you're sister-imposed accident. Three months is plenty of time to develop fairly strong ties between people."

"You don't have to remind me." Guy glared at the taller man. "Now, since we are both about to die, I would rather die in silence than with your voice prattling on about matters that don't concern you."

"As you wish." Archer shrugged again.

They followed their guards in silence until they were brought before the great steps leading up to the hall of the castle. There was quite a gathering, despite the murky weather about, with Vasey and Isabella both looking as if they'd dressed for royalty as they stood at the top of the steps, eyes gleaming with triumph. Upon reflection, Guy could not quite pinpoint the moment he'd "betrayed" his sister to such a point that she'd willingly condemn him to death. He understood a merciful poisoning but this…this was the type of death you dealt to a strange enemy, not a family member.

Vasey began a long-winded speech, all of which Guy purposefully tuned out. He did not want to die with Vasey's taunts in his head. As the guards set Archer in position while he remained at the foot of the stairs, Guy allowed his mind to wander over the events that had brought him here. He had regrets, he believed all men had them, but he was not the type to suffer over his regrets. He admitted to them and was willing to move on. However, now that his neck was about to stretch, there was no moving on from here.

"For the crimes of treason," his sister was the one reading out his verdict, her voice momentarily taking him back to their childhood, to the days he'd promised to protect her no matter what, the days she'd been happy, "Sir Guy of Gisborn is hereby sentenced to hang from the neck until dead. For the crimes of extortion," the list of crimes went on, each resulting in a sentence of death.

After Isabella finished reading from the list of verdicts, Guy was hauled up onto the platform and hurried tied in. Vasey then read off a short list of outlandish crimes against Archer, though considering the man Archer appeared to be, the charges were probably not too far fetched. When he finished with his list, again each crime resulting in a death sentence, the hangman moved aside to the lever.

"Do you have any last words dear brother?" Isabella finally addressed him personally, her eyes as cold as her heart as she stared down at him.

Guy refrained from straining against the noose and his bonds, "I do not." There would be no use to say anything now anyway.

"And do you?" She looked at Archer with obvious disdain.

"Its been an adventure," Archer began, "and I would like-"

Vasey cut off Archer's speech by signaling the hangman who in turned pulled the lever. Guy gasped as his body began to fall towards the ground, death again coming up to greet him.


	32. The Ways of the Irish

Nottingham

It happened so suddenly Vasey couldn't pinpoint what happened first. Either it was the guard rushing through the inner gate yelling out that they were under siege, a cry erupting from the crowd just as two arrows whooshed through the air and severed the ropes of both Archer and Guy seconds before they reached the end of their descent to death, or Isabella falling down the steps in surprise. Whatever the case, it only took him a few moments to sprint into action, yelling out orders to his men as he retreated into the castle, leaving Isabella to her own devices. He had some tricks up his sleeve to implement in order to escape.

Having dropped safely to the ground instead of the end of the rope, Archer and Guy both gasped in air as they regained their senses below the gallows. They glanced at each other then out into the panicked crowd. It was only a moment later that Robin emerged from the rushing forms. He had a wry smile on his face as he came closer, reaching down to first help Archer then Guy.

"Don't you think you were cutting that a little close?" Archer rubbed his neck after he pulled the noose off.

Robin shrugged, "I had to wait for my signal. You should understand the importance of timing."

"What was your signal? Our near death?" Guy also rubbed at his neck.

"The guard announcing Ash's reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?" Guy questioned.

"Ash?" Archer spoke at the same time.

Robin was about to answer when an arrow stuck in the ground between them. They glanced up to find a number of archers readying their bows to release another volley at them.

"I think I should explain as we move." Robin gestured for them to follow him down into the dungeon. "Right now I believe Ash could use our help freeing the others."

"What about her?" Archer gestured towards Isabella who was struggling to her feet, fighting against the layers of folds of her gown.

Guy frowned, "I'll take care of her." He started towards his sister then stopped and looked back towards Archer and Robin, "Make sure you get that woman and her brothers out safely."

He started towards his sister again, who by this time spotted Guy and had turned to rush up the steps away from him, two guards escorting her. He quickly followed up the stairs and into the castle.

"The woman?" Robin questioned as he and Archer started towards the stairs that lead down to the dungeon.

"He apparently doesn't remember anything about the last few months."

Robin sighed, effectively dodging an arrow, "That's exactly what we need at a time like this.

They continued on down towards the dungeon in silence.

Area surrounding Nottingham

"What were ye sayin' about the ways of Irish fightin'?" Hugh grinned back at Little John from where he sat perched on his horse.

Little John tightened his hold on his staff, quietly watching as makeshift mangonels continued to fire various projectiles atNottingham's walls. Hugh's men had gathered a number of rather disgusting and heavy items with which to throw at Vasey's men, among them being cow dung, broken carts coated with Greek fire, rotten vegetables, and Much's unwanted breakfast items. He couldn't believe the extent these men had been able to not only construct these weapons the night before but also get into position without detection. Of course, the mangonels had been brought up after crossbows and well-aimed rocks had launched the initial attack, but they had managed to space themselves out enough to surround the town and were successfully holding it under siege.

"I believe the man is taunting you."Brandonchuckled from atop his horse.

Little John sighed as he looked up at Hugh, "I will admit that I am impressed. But that doesn't mean I have to like you."

"Aye, and while I gladly accept yer appreciation, I willnae push for more. I know what battle to wage and when." Hugh winked at him before turning towards the scene of battle.

They'd only lost one man and had at least three wounded by arrows but it appeared that Vasey was smart enough to keep the gates closed. While most of Hugh's men were manning the bows and mangonels, there were a number of mounted men waiting nearby armed with battle axes and swords, just waiting for the opportunity to ride through the gates.

"Do you think this is a big enough diversion?"Brandon looked over at Tuck.

Tuck smirked, "I think it'll do."

Nottingham Dungeons

Her nose was bleeding from that sneaky little guard, but other than that Ash was fit as a fiddle and currently freeing her family. She wasn't surprised that Robin was late, he'd probably stopped to ask directions.

"How did you know to find us here?" Marcus asked, eagerly waiting for Ash to throw the door open.

Ash smirked, "I'm just that good."

"If you were really that good," Ben smirked back, "you would've gotten us out a long time ago."

Ash just shook her head as she finally got the bloody door unlocked and pulled it open. She was about to throw in a snide comment when Robin finally arrived, Archer on his heels. Ash tensed, knowing that Archer would more than likely recognize her. She also knew that it wasn't as big of a deal to keep her identity as a woman quiet now that all hell had broken loose, but she still didn't want all of her history to be known and Archer would more than likely reveal more than she'd like. Because of this, Ash knew she needed to act quickly.

Indeed, it was only a moment after his arrival and the look of recognition and shock crossed Archer's handsome features that Ash quickly sheathed her sword and moved into action.

"What are-" Archer wasn't able to finish his sentence before Ash launched herself at him, smashing her fist across his face.

Archer recovered after a moment and grabbed a hold of both of Ash's hands before she could continue pummeling him. He whipped her around until her back was pressed against his chest and held her firmly against himself. Ash tried to throw Archer over her shoulder but the bastard apparently still knew her fighting style and effectively avoided her kicks and jostles to get him off balance. Robin watched on in shock while the others trickled out of the cell, their attention glued to the pair as well.

"Ash what are you doing?" Maggie questioned once they were all out.

"Ash is it?" Archer drawled out, still keeping a good hold of her wriggling body, "I might ask you the same thing. No, actually, I think I might ask what the hell you're doing here and where the hell have you been all these years?"

Before Ash could spit out a reply Robin spoke up gesturing towards Ash, "You know this man?"

Archer sputtered but Ash distracted him by ramming her foot against his shin and sliding down against the floor, effectively breaking his hold. From her position on the ground, she kicked back with her foot and caught Archer in the very spot she'd been dying to hit all these years.

As Archer crumpled to the floor in agony Ash jumped to her feet and brushed off her hands, "We are well acquainted with one another."

"How so?" Ben asked, obviously halfway amused at the current proceedings.

"This man sold me out to a rival a number of years ago, leaving me penniless and behind enemy lines. If it weren't for my more questionable abilities I'd probably be six feet under right now. "

"You mean to tell me that you knew who he was when we mentioned him earlier?" Robin stepped forward, looking between the still moaning Archer and the triumphant Ash.

"Yes, I apologize that my petty desire for vengeance had to surface amidst this escape, but I'm not one for procrastination."

Archer finally recovered enough to speak, "You're the one who," he held his breath more a moment before letting it out through clenched teeth, "left me."

Ash was just about to kick him while he was down when Archer sprung into action, his movements not having slowed over the years. Before she could even yelp in surprise, he had her arms pinned behind her back at an awkward angle while her chest pressed against his. His face dropped down close and Ash found herself resisting the desire to melt at the fierce look she recognized in his eyes.

"I waited for you until they nearly caught me. You're the one who abandoned me, Ash." His face drew closer and Ash seemed to forget that they had an audience. Her struggles stilled as she waited for the inevitable. "Where have you been?" She saw his gaze move down to her lips and she barely resisted the temptation to wet them in preparation. "Why did you leave me there?"

She wouldn't have offered up an excuse anyway, but any arguments or excuses that she might've had were sealed off when Archer finally closed the distance between their lips. She was proud of herself for not going limp in the knees at the sensation of his lips so intimately pressed against her own after all these years. However, she might have allowed him to take further liberties if it weren't for the well timed cough from her cousin. She ripped her mouth away from Archer's, turning her face to find Robin's shocked and rather disgusted gaze. She wasn't even going to try to explain things to him. Let him believe what he wanted to believe.

"For one thing," she started to struggle again, "I waited for you and I did get caught. And I have been working hard to get to a point that when I did find you again, and I knew I would, I could tell you wholeheartedly that I have forgotten you."

Archer raised an eyebrow, "From those kicks a moment ago I'd say you haven't forgotten much."

"Um," Robin finally spoke up, his voice sounding strained, "what the hell is going on here?"

"I was wondering the same thing." Allan looked about as green as Robin sounded.

Archer looked at their appalled faces then back at Ash, his lips drawing up in a smirk, "You didn't."

"I did." Ash smiled for the first time since their encounter.

"Oh you are evil, you know that right?" Archer loosened his hold on her wrists but did not readily let go. "I think this conversation is far from over."

"I agree." Ash pulled her arms free and stepped back. "But don't think that just because I haven't already castrated you that I've forgiven you."

Archer continued to smirk, "I wouldn't dream of believing such a foolhardy notion."

"Also," she straightened her tunic and shot Archer a feral glare, "don't even think about telling stories to any of these people."

"Now that I'll have to try to comply with." Archer smirked and nearly earned himself another kick to the groin if he hadn't quickly side-stepped her foot.

"Right," Allan cleared his throat, "getting back to the escape process. How are we going to get out of here?"

Maggie glanced around the room then spoke up, "Where's Guy?"

"He went after Isabella."

"By himself?" Allan started forward, wincing as he moved. "He can't take on her guards and Vasey at the same time."

Robin thought for a moment while the others talked amongst themselves about what should be done. Ash shared a look with Maggie that conveyed her sympathy.

"Archer," Robin turned to his half-brother, "You and Ash get everyone out of here."

Kate watched him for a moment, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go help Gisborn."

"I'm coming with you." Ben stepped forward, having retrieved one of the fallen guard's swords. "You'll need the help."

Maggie looked like she was about to object but stopped, she knew Robin would need the added help. Kate was busy helping Allan and she wasn't about to leave Marcus and Tim.

"You should stay with the others," Robin shook his head.

"I can fight. You need me."

Robin eyed Ben up and down for a moment longer before he nodded, his jaw set. He turned and gave Archer and Ash another disgusted/confused look before he started up the stairs. Ben patted Marcus and Tim on the shoulders, nodded to Maggie, then hurried after him. Maggie gathered Marcus and Tim close and they too started more slowly up the stairs, with Kate and Allan following behind. Archer and Ash remained alone for a moment.

"Think we horribly confused them?" Archer went over and grabbed hold of the other guard's discarded weapon.

Ash smiled, "Definitely."

"You were always a bitch about that."

"And that's why you fell for me."

Archer couldn't argue with that and so kept his mouth shut as he hurried up the steps after her.


	33. The Buildup

Nottingham Sewers

"Come on then! No use in waiting around for one of Vasey's guard's to show us the proper way to die." Archer called over his shoulder, moving further down the sewer. Allan had some difficulty but he managed to fall in a heap fairly safely at the bottom of the initial drop after a few previous failures. Once they were all safely in the muck, Archer led the way towards freedom.

"This is how you came in?" Tim turned to Ash who had taken up the rear. "I thought I'd smelled something foul."

Ash reached out and ruffled her cousin's hair, "You'll smell foul too after I toss you in some of this stuff."

Tim clamped his mouth shut and hurried on after the others. He knew better than to banter with Ash after such a threat. She had the tendency to follow through with nearly all threats made, especially if they only caused harm and not death. Even though they were currently in danger she would not hesitate to toss him as she'd said. Tim hurried up beside his sister and looked up, noticing the tension in her jaw.

Silently praying for Guy's safety, Maggie did her best to avoid the most obvious piles of muck as she too followed along behind Archer. She was still reeling from all the events that had happened in just the past day and if they survived this she had no idea what would happen next. If they made it out alive, and Guy still didn't remember anything, he would most likely not feel obligated to return to her or her brothers. If they made it out alive, and Vasey and Isabella also survived, then the whole lot of them would be outlaws. There were again so many variables in this situation that her head began to pound from the anxiety of escape and the numerous possible outcomes that were churning around in her head.

"Damn!" Maggie looked up when she heard Archer mutter a curse. "Doesn't look like we'll be getting out this way."

Indeed, only a few feet in front of Archer the sewer walls had caved in, probably due to missile fire from the siege weapons. Maggie heard Ash mutter a few curses in Gaelic and even though they were currently in danger she also heard Tim chuckle at her, telling Ash he was learning valuable sayings from her. Marcus had remained quiet this entire time but now even he let out a soft curse, causing Maggie to glare at him. He only shrugged in return.

"Well," Kate growled at the sight then looked between Archer and Ash, "what now?"

Archer and Ash exchanged a quick look, each conveying their silent concern. Allan had taken to leaning against the filthy wall, his face drenched in sweat. Ash was surprised that he'd even made it this far without complaint or collapse. But then again Kate had, also surprisingly, been by his side the entire time, helping him as best she could. Ash could tell something had changed between them but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"If I remember correctly," Archer spoke up, "and my information is more than a few years old, there may be a secret passage that leads out of the keep and into the forest."

Ash raised her eyebrows, curious as to why he would know, or want to know, that tidbit of information, "Where is it located?"

"I would guess somewhere near the great hall." Marcus commented, his guesses usually fairly accurate.

Archer, "All right then, back we go."

"Let's just hope Robin and Guy distract the guards long enough for us to get through." Kate added as the group turned around and headed back.

Area Surrounding Nottingham

"Should we try to breach the walls?" One of Hugh's men approached the group. "We are prepared to do so."

Tuck spoke up before Hugh could, "I do not think we need too. As long as we keep up the missilery attack and maintain their attention I believe Robin and the others will devise an escape plan."

"Aye, just make sure none of those bastards get out an' try to escape." Hugh added, nodding firmly to his man.

"Tuck, shouldn't we try to get in there and rescue them though? They are outnumbered." Little John came up beside Tuck.

Much also stepped closer, "I'm ready to go in. Let's just go!"

"No," Tuck shook his head, "Robin would not want us to risk life unnecessarily. Storming the walls would put more of Hugh's men at risk along with ourselves."

Much clenched his jaw but remained silent as he turned to watch the continued volley of various objects and arrows shot to and from Nottingham. He knew Tuck was right but that didn't stop his great desire to be in there with Robin amidst the action. Some found him to be a coward, and he knew in truth that he could be at times, but in general as long as he had someone he knew and trusted by his side, and something worth fighting for, he was anxious to fight.

"We have enough ammunition right now to continue the attack until dusk. I donnae think anyone will be goin' anywhere." Hugh interrupted Much's thoughts. "We should start plannin' what we're gonna do after dark."

The three men nodded and turned towards Hugh, each thankful for something to take their minds off of what perils Robin might be in.

Nottingham Castle

"Do you honestly think that you can kill me, again, and get away with it?" Vasey spat out at Gisborn as he backed into the great hall, his four guards forming a line between himself and the approaching knight.

Guy sneered, "I may have failed the first time but believe me, I will be rid of you today."

"Oh I know one of us will be rid of the other," Vasey tutted his tongue, "but you're mistaken if you think that it is you that will be rid of me." Vasey patted his two of guard's shoulders and watched in satisfaction as they advanced on Gisborn.

While the knight was distracted with self-preservation Vasey turned and fled down a corridor, his remaining guards with him. He wasn't about to stay in this wretched castle any longer. He'd take the passageway out into the forest then inform Prince John of this little discretion made possible by his own disloyal subjects. Of course John could always just take his anger out on Vasey, but Vasey was fairly confident that he could survive this little incident.

"Surely you weren't going to leave without me." Vasey stopped short when he found Isabella with her two guards standing just outside the entrance to the secret passageway.

Vasey smiled, "Why my lady I'm hurt to think that you would ever believe such a thing."

Isabella raised her eyebrows but said nothing as Vasey drew closer, but not close enough touch. He wasn't about to trust this woman for a minute. After one of the guards opened the door Vasey gestured for Isabella to go first who in turned gestured for him to do so. They stared at each other for a moment, each unwilling to expose their back to the other.

"Going somewhere?"

Both Vasey and Isabella jerked their gazes over to find Robin and one of the young O' Connor's standing in the opposite corridor, swords at the ready. Vasey signaled for one of his guards to attack while Isabella did the same. He chuckled to himself as he hurried through the entrance with his remaining guard, Isabella and hers on his tail. The two guards left behind blocked the entrance until the door swung shut, Vasey sliding the lock into place behind him.

"Are you ready for this?" Robin asked over his shoulder as he prepared to attack.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Ben replied, his voice as firm as his stance.

Robin admired the boys courage, and was actually reminded of Will Scarlet when he'd first met him all that time ago. He had seen Ben fight only briefly before but he knew that the boy was not a good match for a trained guard. He would do what he could to protect him and only prayed that they both managed to get through this.

Robin nodded a second before he and Ben advanced on the guards, throwing all they had into the fight.

Nottingham Great Hall

"Hurry!" Ash called over her shoulder as they neared the great hall, sounds of sword fighting echoing off the stone walls beside them.

The others were close behind when they rushed into the great hall, finding Guy fighting a guard. There was a dead one of the ground near his feet but it was obvious that Guy was having difficulty dispatching this other one. At their arrival, both the guard and Guy were momentarily distracted but it was Guy who recovered more quickly, thrusting his sword through the guard's belly just as Maggie and the boys came in.

Maggie clasped her hand over her mouth, trying to hold in her cry of horror. She heard Tim suck in a harsh breath beside her and closed her eyes for a moment. Her brothers would never forget this sight of Guy's sword buried in another man's belly, a look of dark satisfaction on his face. She would not either for that matter. She'd always known that he was a killer with a cold heart but over the past few months she'd seen the man underneath all that. Now, that man was overshadowed by this monster.

Guy withdrew his sword, not even grimacing at the sucking noise his action made, and looked up. He found Maggie staring at him, horror and disappointment obvious on her face. He swallowed past the unexpected feeling of fear at such a look on her face. He didn't understand why he should be afraid of her disappointment. She was nothing to him now, as were the young boys standing beside her, looking just as disgusted as she. What did they expect him to do? Knock the man over the head and hope that he didn't come after them and stab them in the back?

"We should go." Archer spoke up, breaking the tense spell that had fallen over the group. "I believe I hear Robin's cry for help down this corridor."

Ash raised an eyebrow, "I just hear more sword fighting?"

"Exactly. Robin's handy with a bow." Archer managed to give a smile before he turned and started towards the sounds of fighting, Kate and Allan behind him. The others remained staring at one another for a few moments more before Ash grabbed Marcus' arm and thrust him in front of her, repeating the process with Tim, leaving Maggie and Guy alone.

"You have no right to look at me that way." Guy barked at her, inwardly wincing when he saw her grimace at his tone of voice.

Maggie clenched her jaw and dropped her hand, "I have every right. Should you ever regain your memories you will agree with me."

Guy growled and advanced on her with the same menace he would an adversary. Maggie managed not to back away but did lean back on her heels when he towered over her. Guy glared down at her, willing himself to either feel nothing for her or hate her. However, with her so close, her smell assaulting his senses, he felt a part of himself soften. He may not fully remember this woman but a part of him did and that part of him was what caused him to reach out and lightly touch her cheek. He frowned when his touch left a smear of blood behind. Her innocent face smeared with blood made his gut churn and he immediately stepped back.

"Let's go."

Maggie was confused by his actions but nodded. For a brief moment she'd thought she'd seen a glimmer of recognition in his eyes but after he'd touched her he was all hard again. She hurried down the corridor beside him. At least it seemed there was hope for them.

They rounded the corner just in time to see the others engaged in battle with a number of guards with more pouring in from another corridor. Kate and Allan were off to the side, Marcus and Tim close by, with Ash doing her best to remain in front of them to protect them. Robin, Archer, and Ben were all close together, protecting each other's backs. Guy immediately pushed Maggie towards the wall when a guard advanced upon them, nearly slashing Maggie's arm off.

Maggie yelped as she bounced off the wall and fell to the floor from the momentum of Guys' push. Once on the floor she began to crawl towards her brothers, mindful of the fighting that was going on above her head. She was almost to the spot they were crouched against when suddenly a pair of metal covered boots blocked her way. She looked up to find a hulking guard sneering down at her.

"Where do you think you're going?" He reached down and seized her by the back of her dress, ripping her to her feet and throwing her against the wall.

Maggie frantically looked past the sharp sword that was pointed towards her neck and found to her horror that everyone who could fight the guard was already occupied. She was going to either die or find a way to get free. Maggie tried to break out of the guard's grasp but was only tossed back against the stone wall, her head spinning from the crack it made against the wall.

"If only we could have a little private time." He had leaned forward and began to speak softly to her, his voice still carrying above the chaos of the fight around them.

Maggie lashed out with her feet but only clanged her toes against the metal covering his shins. The guard smirked at her as he shook his head and drew back his sword. Maggie held her breath and watched helplessly as the seemingly last seconds of her life flashed by.


	34. A Climax

In retrospect Maggie would realize that the following events happened much more quickly than they seemed. The guard's sword never pierced her stomach. Instead he was whirled around by Guy and attacked, the force of the attack causing the guard to roughly fall back against her, pinning her to wall. Moments later the guard let out a gurgling sound and suddenly fell to her feet, dead. Guy looked from the dead guard up to her, his face splattered with the man's blood. Maggie could barely breathe, from the previous crushing presence of the guard, and now from the look of violence on Guy's face.

Before she could fully recover, she was in Guy's arms and his mouth covered hers in a bruising, blood-tasting kiss. Whether he did it to assure himself of her safety or her of her own, the kiss was over almost as quickly as it began and Maggie soon found herself basically tossed to the ground beside her brothers, Guy's form immediately launching back into the fray.

Ash dispatched one more guard and bent over to catch her breath before yet another guard advanced upon her. She grunted in disgust but immediately began to fight, twisting and turning to avoid his strong but sluggish blows. His armor was protecting him but it also made him vulnerable to quicker moves. Ash may not be as well protected but she was quicker. It took some maneuvering but she managed to slice the man's throat and kick him off to the side before his full weight collapsed towards her.

She looked up and past the fray towards the "wall" that seemed almost central to this fight. The corridor was surely through there. There was probably a locking mechanism nearby. If she could get over there she could probably pick the lock and they could escape into it, and away from these bastards.

"Kate," Ash yelled over her shoulder, "grab that man's sword and make sure no one gets too close. I'm going to go see if we can get into that bloody corridor."

Kate looked about ready to protest but Ash didn't wait to hear her answer. She had to find a way to get them out of this mess or else they'd soon be overwhelmed and killed. Ash swerved through most of the fighting, ducking down when some of the swings got a little too close for comfort, then dropped to the floor and slid across the slick stones the rest of the way, her body rolling to a stop against her target. She immediately jumped to her feet, wincing at the pain her knees now gave her, and set about feeling around the wall for anything that could aid her.

Back near the opposite wall, Maggie managed to grab a sword from a fallen guard while Marcus procured a dagger. Kate had her own sword and stood beside Allan at the ready. Maggie also stood, her sword a bit wobbly, but she wasn't about to get caught again. She looked through the fray and found to her satisfaction that Ben appeared to holding his own in the fight. Guy and Robin were also safe enough so far. She didn't have time to think further on anything as a pair of guards advanced on her and Kate.

Ash cursed when she realized that the one device she'd found and pressed only opened a trap door at the top of the wall. It was not only too high for her to reach but even though she was small it was indeed too small for even her to get through. She turned around and cursed again when a guard thrust a sword towards her belly. She barely had time to leap away, withdrawing her own sword. As she fought the guard she glanced over her shoulder and found Kate and Maggie similarly fighting, Marcus, Tim and Allan still on the ground behind them.

Suddenly struck with an idea, Ash turned, ran towards the stone wall in front of her, managed to run up it and flipped over the advancing guard. Surprised by her actions, the guard was not quick enough to turn around to stop her from stabbing him in the back. Satisfied that he wasn't about to get up again, Ash turned and rushed back towards her cousins, arriving just in time for Maggie to lose her sword. No matter, Ash killed the guard before he could kill Maggie.

"It helps if you keep the sword." Ash grabbed the dying man's sword from his now relaxed grip and handed it to Maggie. "Tim I need you to help me."

Tim, shaken and pale, only nodded before taking her hand. Ash kept him close beside her as she again pushed through the fray, basically tossing Tim across the floor when she became surrounded by guards again.

"I'll be with you in a minute, just wait there." Ash called over to him before turning her attention back to the guards.

Maggie looked at where Tim crouched by the wall opposite their position. Towards the top of the wall was a newly opened hole. She suddenly understood why Ash needed Tim and turned to Kate.

"We should get over to where Tim is. If he can get the door open we're going to need to go through there."

Kate looked over to Tim then back to Maggie, "Sure."

She bent down and helped Allan to his feet, Marcus immediately standing up next to Maggie. Together they inched along the side wall, knowing that going straight through the heavy fighting area would be suicidal.

Robin withdrew his sword from the belly of the guard in front of him and turned to find Ash almost overwhelmed. He quickly rushed over and threw himself through the circle, coming to stand back-to-back with Ash.

"You do realize that I'm most curious about what happened between you and my half-brother." Robin spoke over his shoulder, keeping his sword pointed towards the guards that currently began circle around Ash and him.

Ash chuckled, "I think I'll just let you suffer through your curiosity for the time being. But I promise, if we get through this alive, I'll let you ask me any three questions and I promise to answer as honestly as possible."

Robin wasn't given the chance to agree or disagree with her terms before the guards attacked, ending any ability to converse.

Guy slashed through the gap in his opponent's armor, severing the man's arm. As he crumpled to the ground in agony, Guy looked up to find Maggie. She and the others were nearing the corridor entrance, their advancement now hindered by a guard. Guy glanced over to see three guards advancing on Archer with another two approaching Maggie's younger brother Ben. He to himself growled before turning to help Maggie.

Kate tried to lean Allan up against the wall in order to prepare herself for the attack but didn't move fast enough. The guard's sword began slicing down through the air towards her shoulder but was stopped when Maggie stepped in front of her, blocking the blow with her own sword. The strength of the guard's blow knocked Maggie back against Kate, causing them both to fall to the ground. Before the guard could attack again, however, Guy ran up behind him and stabbed him through the chest.

"Hurry!" Guy growled down at Kate and Maggie, waiting until they stood before he turned to go back towards Archer and Ben.

Maggie and the others arrived by Tim's side just in time for Ash to yell over her shoulder, "Get Tim up through that door so he can unlock the door."

Maggie nodded, handing Marcus her sword. She knelt down for Tim to crawl on her shoulders then, using the wall for support, stood up. Tim struggled for a grip on the door's edge but finally managed to hoist himself up and over. Maggie could only hope that the drop to the other side wasn't too painful for her brother.

A few moments later and the door opened inward, a smiling Tim waiting for them. Marcus hurried in, ruffling his brother's hair as he passed him.

"It's open!" Kate called out to the others before she basically shoved Allan through the door, quickly following after him.

Maggie turned around and found to her horror that more guards were beginning to come in through the great hall. She called out to Ash, gesturing towards the advancing guards.

"Bloody hell!" Ash turned and gave the guard she'd been fighting a swift kick to the face before thrusting her sword behind her, catching the other guard in the groin. "Let's get out of here!"

Robin looked up and found the source of Ash's renewed energy and cursed to himself. He began to back towards the door, giving Ash the opportunity to get out of there. Archer by this time had noticed the new set of guards as well and had merely pushed the guard he'd been fighting away from himself before he turned and ran towards the door, sliding through it with a wink at Ash when his retreat cut off her own.

Maggie looked back out through the door, her eyes immediately falling on Guy and Ben. Guy grabbed Ben's shoulder and threw him towards the door, taking up position between the boy and the coming guards. He and Robin both backed towards the door, keeping their swords at the ready. Ben started towards the door but stopped just shy of it when he heard the guards begin to attack. He turned and blocked a blow that would've quickly ended Robin's life.

"Come on!" Ash yelled at the men, having taken up throwing her daggers at the advancing guards.

Robin fell to the ground but with Ben and Guy's help he was tossed into safety. Maggie jumped out of the way and waited a few moments longer before both Guy and Ben fell through the door. Archer and Ash quickly pushed the door shut, Kate dropping the lock into place and the group of them watched as the door shuddered from the blows of the guards.

"That was fun." Archer spoke through pants. "But I'd rather not repeat."

Maggie chuckled and nodded. She watched as Robin and Guy pulled themselves to their feet and began to take up position at the front of the group, ready to lead them to safety. Ben, however, did not get to his feet.

"Ben?" Maggie approached her brother, kneeling down beside him. His face was covered in sweat and blood, his sword beside him, both of his hands clutching his side. Maggie moved one of his hands and sucked in a breath at the sight of the deep wound gushing blood.

"I know what's going to come next," Ben's voice was strained but still as clear as ever, "Don't even bother trying to convince me to go with you with false hopes that I'm going to survive this. Just get out of here alive. I'll stay here and make sure they don't follow."

Ash came up and knelt down also. She looked at the wound then up at Maggie. Maggie was already weeping, Marcus and Tim dropping down beside their fallen brother, they tears quickly dampening their cheeks as well.

"What's going on?" Guy came to stand behind Maggie, his frown deepening when he saw the severity of Ben's wound. The boy had probably gotten it after he and Guy had thrown Robin through the door. Guy felt his heart plummet at the thought of the boy's death but remained silent in the face of Maggie's pain.

The door shuddered again, this time beginning to sound like it would give way with a few more good blows. Ash tried to harden her heart against the pain, as she often had to do in order to survive, but found to her horror that her own cheeks were wet now.

"Here." She handed Ben his sword. "You did good." She patted his shoulder. "It has been an honor."

Ben smirked despite his obvious pain, "It's been something. Now get them out of here."

Ash nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. She stood up and walked around Ben's fallen body and reached down for Tim and Marcus. Tim lay down across Ben, his body heaving with sobs. Ben kissed the top of his brother's head.

"Grow strong." Ben murmured against Tim's head before looking up to Marcus. "Live well."

Marcus nodded, his jaw tight. He reached out and took hold of Ben's offered hand, giving it a tight squeeze, before he stood, taking Tim's still sobbing body with him. Ash led them both away, leaving Maggie and Guy with Ben. Maggie leaned down and kissed her brother's cheek.

"I will miss you." Maggie's voice was as broken as her heart. "I love you."

Ben nodded to his sister, "I love you too. Now could you leave me alone with Gisborn?"

Maggie held onto him a moment longer before she stood and stiffly walked over to join her remaining brothers. Gisborn crouched down beside the dying boy.

"I know you don't remember anything about your time with us," Ben suddenly grimaced as the pain increased, "but I want you to promise me that memories or no memories you will never intentionally bring harm to my family."

Guy remained silent for a moment, debating the pros and cons of agreeing to such a promise. When he looked up and saw Maggie's tear-stained face gaze back at him he knew that he could never purposefully harm her. He looked back down to the man in front of him and took hold of his hand, giving it a tight squeeze.

"I promise."

Ben held on a moment longer but then the door shuddered again and he let go, "Get them out alive."

Guy nodded before standing up and moving away. Archer immediately took the lead, Kate and Allan following close behind. Robin hovered nearby for a moment before he too moved off with the others. Ash stared down at Ben before she again took hold of her cousins and pushed them in front of her, away from their dying brother. Maggie was left, staring between her brother and Guy.

"Let's go." Guy took hold of her hand and gently tugged her towards him as he kept moving further down the corridor. "He wants us to get out of this alive."

Maggie swallowed a harsh cry, "I know." She gripped the sword still in her other hand a bit tighter as she allowed Guy to lead her. "I just hope we do."

Guy kept his doubts to himself and merely gave Maggie's hand a squeeze as they caught up with the others.


	35. A Royal Meeting

Meanwhile in Calais, France

It had taken careful manipulation, not something she wasn't skilled at, and perfect timing, another skill she'd learned to perfect over the years, but here they were, her two wayward sons and herself, all meeting on fairly neutral territory. John had taken the bait and raced to Dover only to discover that she'd already left, having given his steward faulty information. Richard had been spirited out of prison, after her ransom money was paid, and escorted to this castle without knowledge of the whys or hows. John too had been escorted here once he'd landed, and just as cooperatively as Richard—meaning not at all quietly or without insult. Neither had realized who the one in charge of these machinations was until this very moment. Both men were now standing dumbly in front of her, just as stupefied as if she'd blasted them with a magic spell.

"John," she gestured for him to sit at her life, "Richard," she gestured to her right, "Would you care to join me for dinner?"

Neither men moved until she cleared her throat and folded her hands in her lap, always a sign of forthcoming fury. They were in their seats moments later. No one spoke as the food was served, and no one ventured to speak for some time after. They managed to make it through most of the meal without so much as a throat clearing until John finally broke the silence.

"So how are you , your grace?"

His attempt at casual conversation was the final straw for Eleanor. She set aside her cutlery and leveled her gaze on her younger son, "Your grace in a state of fury that would shake the foundations of hell and send the devil himself running for shelter. And how are you, your majesty?" She turned to Richard then.

"As well as can be expected, your grace." He looked angry and yet complacent at the same time. Eleanor was surprised he hadn't tried to strangle John yet.

"How many know of our meeting here mother?" John was trying to play the relation card, his desperation beginning to show.

"That depends on how many people you angrily abused on your way here John," she turned to Richard, "and how many people you insulted on yours Richard."

"I do not see how this meeting will solve anything. I-"

Eleanor interrupted him, "No of course not John, it matters not that all of Christendom knows that Queen Eleanor's sons are curdle brained ninnies that are so unable to settle their indifferences that they have to send for their mother."

Both men fell silent then and had the decency to stare at their food. Eleanor allowed her well placed insults to mull around in their heads for the moment, waiting for them to make the next move.

"I know that I will be seen in the wrong, however I was trying to invoke justice while he was off gallivanting around in the Holy Land." John leaned back in his chair and heaved a sigh.

"Justice? Do not imagine that because I have silver hairs that I am in my dotage boys?"

Richard leaned forward and touched the back of her hand, "Of course not mother. However, justice in this situation does-"

"Do not begin to lecture me on when, where, why, and how justice should be dealt Richard. I was dealing out justice long before you were even born."

Richard sat back as if stung. Eleanor also leaned back in her chair, though she folded her hands in her lap. Both men noticed this and again stiffened, ready for the coming "blows."

"John, you came running to me now just as you did in your childhood whenever Richard bested you in sport, the hunt, or whatever else your mean little spirit felt inadequate in. Was it justice that you assumed the throne in your brother's absence when he expressly forbade you from setting foot in the kingdom in his absence? Was in just to withhold the ransom extorted from the people to keep your brother rotting in prison? I know how your devious spiteful mind works; you are my blood after all."

"You were always fair mother." Richard added.

Eleanor turned her heavy gaze upon the Lionhearted, "Your smile may have won your father, Richard, but your father is dead and I am not your father. I have no patience with mean, fake, self-indulgent men who clothe themselves with charm."

"But mother-"

"What, did you expect me to punish John and force him to leave the country?"

John began to look hopeful while Richard's face began to turn dark. Eleanor was beginning to enjoy herself now.

"Richard, how long have you spent in England since you took the throne? Three months, four? John may be a miserable little runt but at least he's been here. He kept us from bankruptcy and dragged it from the chaos you left it in. While you were off crusading John has saved your country from implosion. You should be grateful to him because without him you would not have had a crown to come back too."

Richard looked ready to argue but Eleanor held up a hand and he bite off whatever argument he had been about to launch.

"John you will not die for your actions, but they will not be forgotten. You are two sides of the same flawed coin, weak, stupid and selfish. But I forgive you, for you are both my sons, and I must in part bear the responsibility, however undignified as it may be. So embrace and forgive. This country requires one strong monarch, not two petulant children." When neither man looked to move Eleanor allowed her voice to rise for the first time since the conversation had started. "Now, or by the fires of Satan I will see both of you in hell and put the king of Egypt on the throne."

There was immediate movement after that.


	36. The Beginnings of a Resolution

Ash shouldn't have been surprised that the Sheriff and Isabella had not yet gotten out and that, when they caught up with them in the corridor, Vasey and Isabella ordered their remaining guards to attack while the pair of them continued on towards the trap door that would lead them all to safety. Ash also shouldn't have been surprised when Archer attempted to take on both guards while leaving her and Robin to dispose of Vasey and Isabella. It was a rush of movement but when the dust cleared Robin had Vasey pinned to the ground, Archer had one guard killed and the other disarmed, and Ash was currently cornering Isabella.

"Wait." Ash halted her movements at the sound of Guy's voice. She glanced over her shoulder to find him striding forward, his sword at the ready, a scowl on his face. She took that as her cue to back away, taking up position near Robin, just in case Vasey had another trick up his sleeve.

"Are you going to kill your own sister Guy?" Isabella sneered at him, her hands reaching behind her body to grasp the wall he was backing her up against. "You are only further earning your way into hell by doing this."

Guy snorted, "I'm not afraid of hell. I've already lived in it the past few years." He drew back his sword and leveled it at her heart. "It doesn't have to be this way, Isabella."

"You think we could live as a family again, is that it Guy? Are you asking for forgiveness or seeking redemption by sparing me?" Isabella spat out at him, her face contorted into a menacing frown. "Damn you, Guy."

Suddenly the corridor shuddered, filling with the dust of collapsing rock. One of the missiles had made a direct hit on the tunnel back towards the castle. It was distraction enough for Vasey to knock away Robin's sword and surge to his feet, turning to flee down the corridor towards the trap door. Isabella also lunged forward, a dagger suddenly in her hand. Guy dodged her jab by stepping away and pushing her past him, watching as her body continued forward until the dagger plunged into the fleeing body of Vasey. There was a moment of surprised silence then Isabella pulled the dagger out.

"You bitch!" Vasey jerked away from her, his hand immediately going up to clutch at his chest, blood pouring forth from the wound. He glared at the lot of them, his face turned down in a horrid sneer. "You'll all pay for this." He fell to his knees. "You'll pay." With one last shudder his body fell forward, his face in the dust of the ground.

"Well that takes care of two pests," Archer commented, drawing all eyes to his position. In the confusion of the impact the guard he'd had cornered had fallen forward and impaled himself on Archer's sword. "Only one left now." He pulled out his sword and wiped it on the guard's tunic before sheathing it.

Guy started towards Isabella, ready to disarm her, when suddenly she whirled around, bringing the previous dagger and a new one towards his face. Guy leapt back but tripped and fell to the ground, Isabella descending upon him. She began to bring her arms down from the killing arc when suddenly she howled in pain and dropped the daggers. Tim had jumped on her back and tore at her hair, succeeding in keeping her from killing Guy. Only Maggie and Marcus were able to dislodge the young boy so that Ash and Robin could haul Isabella to her feet, securing her between them.

Archer reached down and helped Guy to his feet, "You have a very unhealthy relationship with your sister." Guy glared at the man who merely shrugged in return. "Just thought I should let you know."

"What should we do with her?" Kate spoke up from where she stood near Allan.

"I hope you all die!" Isabella screamed at them, her eyes now wild with fevered hatred. "You all deserve to hang!"

"Gag her." Allan pressed a hand to his head. "Please."

Tim happily ripped some cloth from his tunic and handed it to Ash who in turn took great pleasure in securing it in Isabella's mouth. Marcus went over and unlaced both of the dead guard's wrist cuffs and brought the strings back to Ash who used them to tightly bind Isabella's wrists behind her back. Guy merely watched in silence until the procedure was complete.

"Well, unless someone else has a rather insane enemy lurking about," Archer stepped over Vasey's dead body and gestured towards the trap door, "I suggest we get out of here."

Robin nodded, "Let's go," he pushed Kate and Allan in front of him then reached over and without realizing it grabbed hold of Ash's elbow, pulling her along with him. Ash, and Archer, both noticed the gesture however. It was only when Ash jerked her elbow out of his hand that he seemed to realize what he'd done. His face paled then he hurried past her and out the trap door Allan and Kate had already disappeared out of.

"You've really done a number on him," Archer drawled in her ear, "Are you going to tell him any time soon?"

Ash smiled, "How long did I torture you?"

"Two months. But from what I can tell I'm a bit quicker than my half-brother."

"That is true," Ash grinned even more, "perhaps it'll take twice as long for him to figure it out."

Archer clapped her on the back as the two of them corralled the boys in front of them and out the trap door, then grabbed Isabella and hauled her out as well. Only Guy and Maggie were left in the corridor. Guy stood over Vasey's body, staring blankly at the dead man. Maggie stared at Guy. It was only when she ventured forward and tentatively touched his forearm that he realized the others had gone on before them.

"What do you want from me?" He suddenly questioned, his eyes intense as they stared down at her.

Standing in a ruined corridor, next to a dead man, Maggie realized that their relationship was very similar to their surroundings. She could never expect the tenderness he'd offered her as the memory-less man he'd been. If anything developed between them it would be completely different from what had been before. She would have to mourn the loss as if he really had died, because in a way the man she'd known had died. She watched his features for a moment as her thoughts settled into a somewhat peaceful nature.

"Whatever you'll give me."

"And if I can give you nothing?" Guy was frowning now, pulling back physically and emotionally.

Maggie smiled sadly, "Then there is nothing. I accept that as well."

Guy studied her a moment longer before he shook his head and gestured for her to go through the trap door before him. He didn't know what he could offer her, or if he wanted to offer this stranger anything. He would need time, and if when he found out what he wanted, he hoped she would still be around to hear his answer.

A Fortnight Later

"A royal procession is almost here!"

Ash looked up from her food and stared up at Much. She glanced across the great hall table to Archer who merely smirked in return. She had expected this arrival at least a few days sooner but now was as good a time as any.

"Does Robin know?" She pushed her plate away and stood, immediately strapping her sword back onto her body.

Much gulped down his excitement, "I told him on my way in here."

"Well then I suggest you go find the others and have everyone meet in the courtyard. I'm sure we have some explaining to do."

Much nodded and immediately disappeared the way he appeared, in a flash of clothing. Ash merely chuckled as she started towards the stairs.

"Do you think I'll get a full pardon or should I make a graceful exit now?" Archer continued to eat as if royalty were not almost at the gates.

Ash smiled over her shoulder, "How much arse kissing are you willing to do in order to get a full pardon?"

"You think overtaking an entire city after nearly dying isn't enough to please them?" Archer raised his eyebrows then sighed. "I suppose I'll do what I must." He leaned back in his chair and eyed Ash. "So what is next for you?"

"What do you mean?" She leaned against the wall by the foot of the stairs, figuring now would be the time for 'their' talk.

"We've locked up the bad guys, liberated a countryside of a crooked Sheriff, started repairs on a city we ravaged, confused the hell out of my half-brothers about our relationship," Archer smiled at the last bit, "I was just curious as to whether or not you're going to settle down with your cousins or continue on with your current employment."

It was true, in the time span since Vasey's death they had managed to round up soldiers loyal to Vasey and lock them up, began repairs Brandon and his cohorts had inflicted upon the city and castle, and returned all confiscated property and goods to those cheated by Vasey. Isabella was also locked away, awaiting a proper trial. Robin had taken to consulting Tuck on fiscal affairs, having elected himself temporary Sheriff. Kate and Allan had returned to village Locksley where Allan was healing under the not always loving but always interesting care of Kate. It was obvious that things had changed between them and that perhaps a future was possible between them. The O' Connors, after burying Ben, had returned to their homestead. Guy still had not regained his memories of the O' Connors, nor did he seem inclined to visit the O' Connors to attempt to reclaim them.

Ash was disappointed in the turn of events regarding her cousins but couldn't bring herself to be too disappointed, as Gisborn was still as much of an arrogant arse as ever. He was honorable, at least now, and had not run off when given the opportunity. He appeared ready and willing to face whatever punishment the higher powers dealt him. She was pleased with the changes with Kate and Allan, and found that Robin as Sheriff somehow fit the arrogant yet handsome prick. She still had not yet told him that she was a woman and more than once she'd purposefully made his life miserable.

There was the time she'd waited until he was in the privy before she burst in, attempting to have a serious conversation with him about what to do with the soldiers. He'd nearly fallen through the privy hole in surprise. Then there'd been the time she'd waited until he was walking down one of the narrow corridors before she decided she needed to go down the same corridor and made it to where they had to press close together in order to pass one another. There had also been numerous occasions when she'd "accidentally" walked in on him bathing or dressing. Each and every time he'd jerked in surprise and promptly flushed crimson like a virginal maid. Her favorite had been the night they'd hosted a celebration in the castle and Robin had gotten quite sloshed. To her delight he'd cornered her against a secluded wall, his arms on either side of her body, his face dangerously close to her own.

"What happened," he closed his eyes briefly before continuing, "between you and my brother?"

Ash, not inebriated in the slightest, "I don't see how that is any of your business." She feigned an attempt to push past him, hiding a smile when he roughly pushed her back into position between his warm body and the wall.

She wasn't quite sure when she'd become fairly at ease with the attraction she felt towards him, or the idea of allowing something to develop between them. But now that her mission was accomplished, the day saved, and things were beginning to fall into place, she felt more inclined towards forming some sort of relationship with Robin.

Her time with Archer was in the past. They'd established that much almost immediately after the dust of battle had cleared. He'd tried to man-handle her again and she'd promptly thrown him on his face. A few curses and near fist fights later and it'd been discovered that they'd both been betrayed all those years ago by one of the wenches he'd seduced and stupidly trusted enough to tell of his plans of escape. She'd known of Ash's identity as a woman and jealously made it to where both Ash and Archer believed the other to have betrayed them. Upon discovering this, Archer had been slightly inclined towards starting things up where they'd left off but Ash was beyond that now and Archer understood. In reality he was also. They could now think of the other fondly and no longer try to kill each other

"I want to know…" He swayed slightly, Robin's body coming even closer to Ash, who was not complaining about the proximity, "what could happen…" his forehead pressed against hers and Ash could smell both the alcohol he'd drunk and his own unique scent, "because you're everywhere…" one of his hands flopped down on her shoulder then moved up to circle around her neck, holding her in place, not that she was going anywhere, "and you're damned confusing."

Ash smirked, "Well Robin," she reached up and grasped hold of his shirt with both her hands, leaning her head up slightly, "things are about to get more confusing." With that she closed the remaining distance between them and pressed her lips against his.

Robin immediately tensed, his other hand coming down onto her shoulder. He didn't immediately pull away, and Ash didn't immediately try to deepen the kiss. He merely held her against the wall as she continued to kiss him. It was only when she licked his bottom lip with her tongue that he leapt away from her as if on fire. His eyes, bright with alcohol and confusion, widened as he touched his lips. Ash merely smiled at him as she licked her lips and gave a purr-like smile. He retreated back into the dancing forms of the celebration and had successfully avoided her ever since.

"So," Archer's voice brought Ash back from her delightful memories, "what are your plans?"

Ash smiled over at her lover turned friend, "I think I'll take each day as it comes and see where things go."

"You mean with Robin?" Archer gave her a sly wink and Ash shot him a lewd gesture.

"Perhaps," she shrugged as she dropped her hand back down, "but I'm not about to force things."

"Well that's comforting," Ash looked up to find Robin glaring down at her from the top of the stairs, "since there's no way in hell I'll ever be interested in a man."

Archer chuckled, "Well Ash is special Robin," he had also never made the attempt to explain things to Robin, having taken to liking the spectacle his half-brother made whenever Ash confused the hell out of him, "so if I were you I wouldn't sneer at the idea too quickly."

"You aren't me." Robin shot back at him, "now would you two care to join us in the courtyard. The procession has entered the city." He gave Ash a quick once-over before shuddering as he turned and hurried back the way he came.

"You are going to put him out of his misery soon right?" Archer stood and slowly made his way over to stand beside her.

Ash smirked, "All in good time."

Archer clapped her on the back with a hoot of laughter as together they made their way up the stairs and out towards the courtyard.


	37. A Confession to Make

Once in the courtyard, Ash kept her smile to herself as she watched the Queen Mother Eleanor descend from the carriage, her sons Richard and John on her heels. All bodies in the courtyard immediately bowed to the royal trio. Queen Eleanor gave the group an once-over before immediately making her way over to Ash.

"While your actions are as unprecedented as ever, you have, yet again, not disappointed your monarch." Eleanor extended her hand for Ash to kiss. "I will fulfill our terms of agreement and you are hereby released from our contract. You are now free to pursue whatever employment you wish."

Ash nodded and stood up again, "Thank you, your Grace, I am most grateful."

She glanced over at Robin whose face was currently whiter than a sheet and eyes wider than saucers. She heard Brandon chuckle behind her and barely managed to keep her laughter to herself. Yes, things had been timed quite nicely there. At least now Robin knew who her employer had been. She stepped back and watched as Richard approached Robin, a smile on his face. They greeted each other warmly and Ash listened as Richard complimented the young lord for his daring pursuit of justice.

John, all this time, hovered near the background, keeping as low a profile as possible. Ash found his contriteness to be amusing. It was only when Richard turned to Gisborn that a frown entered the mix.

"You are Sir Guy of Gisborn are you not?"

Guy bowed low, "I am your majesty. I humbly ask your pardon for my actions against your crown and accept all punishment thou deem fit for me."

Richard looked at Eleanor before nodding and brushing past the still bowing Gisborn. They adjourned to the great hall then where Queen Eleanor and King Richard heard the reports from the lot of them about the death of Vasey and the events leading up to that. By the time all things were said and done and the royals retired to their chambers, Isabella was sentenced to hang for treason, Guy was exiled to France for his part in the treasonous acts—having saved his neck only by fighting against Vasey in the end, and Robin and his men were no longer considered outlaws. Robin was granted the title of Sheriff of Nottingham, Tuck his Sergeant-at-Arms, Allan the town treasurer, and Much the county bailiff. Archer was also granted a full pardon, though he was warned never to set foot in any major city of England for at least a year.

The O' Connors, absent at the meeting, were given their family lands back, and granted the family title again. Ash's family in Ireland was also given their ancestral lands and title back, having lost it in the last skirmish between the Irish and English. In all, things turned out nicely for everyone. By the time the royals left three days later, Kate and Allan were married, Much, Tuck, and Robin moved into the castle, Archer packed and ready to leave, and Guy had disappeared.

"So," Ash looked up at the door to her chamber, smiling when she found Robin leaning against the door frame, "I find that it is my duty as Sheriff to ask where you are headed to now."

Ash raised an eyebrow, "How is that your duty? Are you scared I'm going to cause mischief in your district?"

"You could say that," Robin moved further into the room, which surprised Ash considering how jumpy he'd been around her ever since she'd kissed him, "I'm also just curious as to what you're getting into next."

"You miss your adventure filled days of being an outlaw already? Surely you must find the modern conveniences of living in the keep to be an upgrade to sleeping outside every night." Ash watched him out of the corner of her eye as he drew even closer to where she sat in front of her fire.

"You aren't answering my question." He sat in the chair near hers and took to staring into the fire as well.

Ash shrugged, "I'm not sure actually. I should probably head home and make sure things are settled back on the good ol' Emerald Isle. I should also stop in with Maggie and the others before I leave, just to make sure everything there is settled. Beyond that, however, I'm not quite sure. Do you have a proposition for me?"

"You could say that." Robin sighed. "There are other outlaws out there, not the type that we were mind you, and you have the perfect qualifications to hunt them down and bring them to justice."

"That is a tempting offer," she looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, "Is that all you came to ask?"

Robin was silent for a few moments before he spoke again, "What was your relationship with Archer? Given what transpired between us not so long ago," his voice wobbled slightly there, "I have my suspicions, but I can't seem to understand how or why-"

His voice was cut off by Ash's lips sealing against his again. In the halting time that he'd used to even explain that much she'd moved from her chair and basically dropped into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. He was too surprised at first to react beyond widening his eyes and stiffening up. But again when she licked his bottom lip he jolted out of his surprised and stood up, causing Ash to fall onto the floor.

"I'm not Archer! I can't allow you to do that! I don't see you in that way Ash, so don't ever do that again!"

He turned to hurry out the door but was stopped by Ash tackling him from behind. They fell to the floor and rolled around until Ash straddled his hips and held his arms to the ground by his sides. The change in positions kept Robin from pushing her away at first and so Ash again took the opportunity to kiss him, this time succeeding in pushing her tongue inside his mouth. Robin jerked back and turned his head to the side, nearly roaring as he pushed her off him. She grabbed hold of one of his hands though, as she rolled to the side, and brought it up to her chest as she rolled onto her stomach, firmly trapping his hand between her chest and the floor.

"Stop it!" Robin tried to pull his hand back, but only succeeded in pulling Ash up with it positioning them to where Ash had her back to his chest, his hand still pressed against her chest.

"Will you stop fighting long enough for me to explain!" Ash growled at him, still anchoring his hand against her.

Robin growled as he again started to pull his hand away, "Will you stop kissing me!"

"If after I explain you still want me to stop kissing you then I promise to do so. However you need to trust me not to attack you again long enough for me to explain."

It took a moment before Robin finally relaxed, "Go ahead and explain."

Ash let go of Robin's hand long enough to reach up and begin to untie her shirt. Robin, still only staring at her back, knew nothing of her movements, he was only waiting for her to explain. After she had her shirt open enough, Ash took his hand again, and though he resisted at first, she managed to push his hand beneath her chest wrapping until his hand cupped her left breast. She heard Robin gasp, and his hand instinctively tightened in surprise, which only made Ash smirk.

"What-" Robin couldn't quite form a sentence. All this time he'd been a she. All those times she'd seen him near naked, or naked, all those times they'd fought and she'd bested him, all those fights and skirmishes, and those kisses and near kisses, Ash had been a woman!

"I find that with my stature and my skills it is often better to disguise myself as a woman. It keeps people from asking unnecessary questions and I can get in and out much easier than if I was a woman." She wasn't inclined to remove his hand any time soon, it felt too good where it was, and so was disappointed when Robin removed his hand by himself. She turned to face him as they sat on the floor together. His face was white with surprise and his eyes big as saucers again. He looked between her face and her chest a few times before he started to blink away his initial shock. "My employers always know and Brandon knows. Archer obviously knew before he and I got involved, which by the way our relationship as man and woman is none of your business. I figured you'd find out soon enough but the opportunity to explain never came, or if it was there I just didn't feel like explaining."

Robin swallowed past the lump in his throat, "You thought you could just go on torturing me then?"

"For a little while, yes. I felt the need to humble you a bit." Ash smiled at his annoyance. "But I also felt the need to tell you once I found myself even more attracted to you and found myself pondering what it'd be like to have a proper relationship with you."

Robin surged to his feet, "You think you can just confess something like this to me and suddenly I find it perfectly normal to take up with you? Do you have any idea what you've put me through, or how selfish you've been to do so?"

Ash stood up also, her smile fading when she realized that yes she had pushed things too far. He was a much different person than Archer, who had understood the reasons she'd done what she had. Robin was proud and much more straight-laced. Of course he would find offense and disgust in her actions. She should've realized that sooner.

"I'm sorry that I've miscalculated your reaction. If I had known-"

"You're sorry about your miscalculation?" Robin sounded outrightly disgusted. "Well you can also be sorry about this then." Robin strode to the door and slammed it shut behind him.

Ash sighed as she sank down on the chair once more. She'd been a dunce about things, yet again. Perhaps Robin would cool down and learn to forgive her, but she knew that would take a very long time. In the meantime she was going to do something useful, like visit Maggie before going home. Some time at home where she was fully female would be good for her. Perhaps it would teach her how to be more sensible about relationships. She glared at the door where Robin has disappeared. Yes, she was going to go home.


	38. New Plan of Attack

Life had not turned out as planned, but it rarely did. After having things restored as they should've always been, Maggie and her brothers still found it difficult settling back into their old home and starting to live life as the nobles again. There was a hole in their family now that Ben was gone. A hole that would not be filled ever. The distraction of moving and readjusting helped a bit, but still, at the end of the day it came back to the fact that not was Ben dead now but also Guy was gone.

Maggie kept her spirits up and never showed her brothers the amount of sorrow in her heart. She only cried when she bathed, thus allowing herself to immediately wash away any evidence of the salty droplets. She knew both Tim and Marcus cried, but it seemed that they too felt the need to keep it hidden. It was as if they were living in denial but they still none of them wanted to openly discuss Ben's absence.

In the time since everything had resolved, well almost everything, Kate had stopped by and asked forgiveness, obviously spurned on by her new husband Allan. Tuck and Much stopped in on occasion to make sure they were getting on and even Robin stopped by. Archer had come and paid his respects before leaving also. But there had been no word or sign of Guy. It was believed that he'd already left for France, never to return. Maggie had known things would turn out this way, but it still pained her to think that he wasn't even in the same country as she.

"You look miserable."

Maggie looked up at the sound of Ash's voice. She smiled at her cousin and waved her closer. After an embrace Maggie eyed Ash as well and smirked.

"You don't look much better."

Ash shrugged, "Ah well I confessed my sex to Robin and he rejected me and now I'm running away with my tail tucked between my legs."

"That sounds like a good enough reason to look so dejected." Maggie patted her cousin on the back, though she couldn't hide a smile. "Is he really that angry?"

"Doesn't he have a right to be?" Ash growled. "I played with his mind and emotions for well over a month and now I suddenly expect him to be okay with getting involved with me?"

Maggie smiled even more, "Sounds like you've developed some empathy, I'm surprised."

Ash glared at her cousin who took that as her cue to shut up. After a few moments Ash sighed, "I'm going back home. Want to come with me? The boys are welcome also. It might be good for the lot of you to get away for a while, until things settle a bit more."

Maggie tipped her head to the side in thought. She agreed that time away would be good, however she didn't feel inclined to visit overly talkative relatives in Ireland. Suddenly she was seized with a foolhardy idea. She kept her impulsive excitement to herself as she spoke again.

"You take the boys with you. I'm going somewhere else."

Ash narrowed her eyes, "You're going after him?"

"I just want to see that he's settled. I need that closure."

"Don't you think he's rejected you enough and hurt you enough as it is? Why can't you leave it as it is?" Ash implored, not at all liking the idea of Maggie traveling to France alone, especially after the likes of Gisborn.

Maggie glared at Ash, "Do you think you'll be able to leave things as they are with Robin for long?"

Ash glared right back at her, not bothering to verbally concede her cousin's point. They sat in silence a moment longer before Ash sighed again.

"I can arrange things for you. I have contacts who can track him down for you, so you don't go wandering about the entire French countryside looking for him. Just don't stay over there for too long. I'll keep the boys with me in Ireland for at least a month." Ash had to finish her sentence quickly before Maggie wrapped her arms around her neck and squeezed the life from her. "Just be careful okay?" Ash said as she hugged her cousin back. "I'm tired of you getting hurt."

Maggie smiled against Ash's shoulder, "And I'm tired of you being stubbornly impulsive but it seems we must both learn to deal."

They shared a laugh before gathering the boys and enlightening them of their plans. Within four days they'd each departed for their separate corners. Ash to hers to reevaluate her relational style, and whether or not she was willing to swallow her pride and actually give Robin a real apology and a real offer. Maggie to hers to see how Guy was now faring, and whether or not he was willing to start over with her.


	39. Coming Home

**Epilogue**

After exactly four months, six days, and two hours, Ash decided to apologize to Robin. In the time it'd taken her to come to that conclusion Robin had also come to the understanding that he was willing to overlook Ash's deception and to pursue a relationship with her. And so when she came back to Nottingham she'd barely dismounted before Robin had crushed her to him in an embrace and stolen her breath in a kiss. Of course they argued through their apologies but in the end they decided to try out a relationship. It took them nearly two years to realize that they actually loved each other enough to marry, and even then it took Robin almost six months to work up the courage to actually ask her for her hand. Even when he asked her Ash played hard to get, which only resulted in him kissing her into submission. In the end, the two most arrogant and stubborn creatures on earth, besides Archer, married and would wind up producing more arrogant and stubborn creatures who would torment the earth.

Things did not go so well, or quickly, for Maggie. She had found Guy, but she'd never revealed her presence to him. For a whole month she watched in the shadows as he settled into a life as Sheriff for a provincial town on the French coast. He kept to himself and though he had no friends he was cordial with others. Satisfying herself that he was well enough, Maggie left for home.

Once there she busied herself with making sure both her brothers attended court and continued their studies. She immersed herself in the day-to-day duties of being mistress of a rather extensive manor. For the most part she was happy and only on cold, dark nights did she allow herself to ponder Guy and what things might have been like with him. When Robin and Ash finally got married Maggie decided to write Guy. Nearly three years was surely long enough for him to figure out what he could offer her, if she was even still on his mind.

In her letter she updated him on the lives of the people he'd known, in case he didn't have his own contacts in the area who kept him informed. It was only towards the end that she even hinted at the hope that remained in her heart towards him. She was surprised that she wasn't scared about posting the letter. It had been three years after all. Even if he was married by now, and even if she had never once entered his mind, she felt stronger and more at peace with writing him.

That had been almost two months ago. Since it was harvest time Maggie didn't have much time to stop and wonder if Guy had gotten the letter, in fact she was so preoccupied with preparations for Marcus' upcoming wedding in addition to harvest that he hadn't even entered her mind. And so she was taken completely off guard when she looked up from her desk to find Sir Guy of Gisborn standing just inside her study door.

He had aged a bit, with some gray hairs streaking through the raven mass on his head, but he was still as devilishly handsome as ever, in fact perhaps even more so. His eyes were not as hard as they had been the last time she'd seen him, but they were still guarded. He apparently still preferred black leather, not that she minded.

She knew he would see that she too had changed and yet remained the same. Her hair had lightened, and her figure had filled out a bit due to their prosperity. Her eyes were dimmer though, she knew they were. She was happy, yes, but she was also fairly empty in places in her soul.

"How?" She carefully replaced her ink quill as she watched him come closer.

"I petitioned the crown for an allotted amount of time to return."

Maggie nodded, "How much time do you have?"

"Three days." He came closer, his eyes intently studying her. "You haven't changed."

"Oh I have." Maggie blushed and gestured for him to sit. "You have too."

Guy nodded as he stiffly sat, suddenly looking a bit uncomfortable. Maggie didn't quite know what to say or do. She hadn't expected him to suddenly show up, not even after her vague hints of hope in her letter. She allowed the silence to continue between them for a few moments before she sighed and leaned forward.

"Why are you here Guy?" He reached inside his jacket and withdrew her letter. Maggie eyed the letter for a moment before she looked back to him. "You're here because of my letter?"

Guy sighed, "I'm here because I wanted to settle things between us. There has hardly been a day in the past three years that you haven't strayed into my thoughts. Even when I tried to push you away you were still there and I still wondered how you were, if you'd married, if you had children."

Maggie stirred at the satisfaction of knowing he'd thought of her nearly as much as he'd thought of her, but she remained silent for the time being.

"Sometimes when I sleep I believe I dream of my time spent with you and the boys. I haven't fully regained memories of that time but in my sleep I see snippets of it." His gaze leveled on hers. "What I've seen makes my heart tear in two. If what I've seen is true, to have experienced that with you, only to have forgotten it, and to have pushed you away after how open you'd made yourself to me," Guy looked away, his jaw tightening, "I know even more fully now that I'd never deserved you."

Maggie reached out towards him then quickly dropped her hand, "That isn't why I wrote you Guy, and that isn't how I felt, or feel."

"What do you feel?" Guy turned back towards her, his voice softer now. "Now, seeing me again, after all this time and after all that's happened?"

"I feel as I did before you left." Maggie said without hesitation. Too much had passed between them to hesitate any longer.

Guy winced and looked down at his hands, "I don't deserve you, Maggie, I never did, but especially not now. From what I remember I've hurt you when I said I never would; I abused your love; I took advantage of you and your family." He dragged a hand across his face, "I deserted you."

Maggie stood and moved around her desk to stand beside his chair. She reached out for his hand then thought better of it and instead dropped her hand on top of his head. He lifted his head at her touch. She saw how tortured his eyes were and in turn tried to implore him with her own to be more at peace.

"I've already forgiven you, Guy." She knelt down, her hand sliding down to cup his face. "I love you Guy, I never stopped."

He inhaled sharply at her words, his hand coming up to hold hers firmly against his cheek. He reached out with his other hand and gently stroked her cheek. He studied her a moment before he used his hand to tip her chin up and leaned down. The kiss he brushed against her lips was so soft she felt she'd imagined it until he did it again. When he pulled back enough to look at her again his face had softened a bit.

"I want you Maggie, I need you. Surely I must be a bastard for wanting you even though I've caused so much pain but I won't lie about this. I may be selfish in asking you to marry me and come to France when it's obvious that you're firmly settled and tied to things here in England but-"

His words were cut off by Maggie kissing him more firmly as she settled herself in his lap. Guy immediately kissed her back, kissing her as if he were a man drowning. Neither one stopped until air became necessary and even then Guy held her close, his hands never stopping as they caressed her back, her face, her hair, as if to reassure himself that she was truly there with him.

Magdalene choked back the tears when she felt them forming. She couldn't resist him, not now, not ever. She loved him completely, and wholly, always would no matter. She held onto him tightly, reassuring herself also that he was truly there.

"It is true that I have ties here in England but Marcus is of age and he is getting married. He can inherit the manor. Tim is still studying. Ash and Robin are married now, so I don't need to worry about either them. I am a free woman, Guy, and would gladly follow you to France."

He smiled, "That's good to know." He kissed her again. "Do you think we can get everyone here within three days?"

"I certainly hope so because you're not leaving without me, ever again."

Guy laughed before sealing his lips against hers. They were complete with one another, and nothing without. They would be this way until they died.


End file.
